


Battle of Demons

by Bandicle



Series: Battle of E.D.E.N. [2]
Category: The 100, The 100 (TV), The 100 (TV) RPF, The 100 Series - Kass Morgan, The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Apocalypse, Bisexual, Bisexual Bellamy Blake, Bisexual Clarke Griffin, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon LGBTQ Male Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Clexa, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Gay, Gay Male Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, Lesbian, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Octavia Blake, Linctavia - Freeform, M/M, Minor Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane, Minor Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Minor Octavia Blake/Lincoln, Multi, Past Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Past Octavia Blake/Lincoln (The 100) - Freeform, Past Octavia Blake/Lincoln - Freeform, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Season 6 The 100, the 100 season 6
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-02-10 01:01:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18649717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandicle/pseuds/Bandicle
Summary: "Before you find peace, you first must face your demons..."We stare at the unknown planet before us, two suns reflecting lights onto our faces. I hoped we could make Monty proud, I hoped we could really make something of this place without masses of bloodshed. I wanted to change. But can we?Beware the Forest. Beware the Darkness. Beware your Demons...Based on Season 6 before Season 6 is aired.[NO SPOILERS INCLUDED - Season 6 doesn’t air until end of May in U.K. (inspired by the trailer/my own brain)]





	1. New Age

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my Battle of E.D.E.N. Series, but if you don’t have to read book 1 to understand this one. Book 1 is basically a rewrite of season 5, where:
> 
> \- Jasper lives not Echo  
> \- Clarke does not betray her friends  
> \- There is no ‘war’ but McCreary dies and burns the planet  
> \- Miller and the Flame die  
> \- Emori is pregnant (and still is) with Murphy’s baby

The video stopped playing. My face warmed with the light shining through the big window. It was hard to believe we'd slept for over a hundred years and even harder to believe that we were capable of destroying our planet. I questioned if it was worth it, us standing here with a second chance. Although we all knew it was more than our second.

 

"Th-that's not all!" The stranger stammered, I managed to peel my eyes away from the planet. Bellamy stood his ground, arms folded and forehead creased. It was clear we were both thinking the same thing: why us two?

 

Monty knew that things between me and Bellamy were broken. He hated me for leaving him in the pits to die, and I know he can't understand why I saved Octavia. He thinks she's too far gone. He thinks she's a monster. He thinks _I'm_ one too.

 

The stranger stumbled around in drawers in what would've been Monty's desk, clumsily searching for something Unknown to us. He smiled as he found what he was looking for, producing a rectangle silver briefcase, he placed it on the desk. His fingers reached over to the clasps on either side of the front of the briefcase, popping them open with a click. His hands lifted open the briefcase, facing us. The velvet black lining was outshone by the light dazzling off of nine identical bracelets.

 

De ja vu hit me like a truck, my mouth suddenly going dry as I forced myself to cross the floor to where the bracelets sat. Bellamy stood his ground, unable to move. It was unclear if he was shocked at the slap of the past, the new planet, the death of his friends or the fact that their son, who was biologically our age, stood before us, an awkward smile on his lips. Nervous to be with the hero's from Monty's stories.

 

My fingers caressed the cold metal tin as my eyes scanned over the bracelets, each of them with an unlit black screen in the middle and initials carved just above the screen, in the centre of the bands, on everyone one of them. I read each set of inititials on each bracelet:

CG. MG. OB.

BB. EJG. JJ.

RM. JM. EM.

 

I looked up at him. I looked up at the kind eyes that reflected Monty. He had Monty's intelligence, Harper's confidence and both of their bravery. EJG. Eden Jordan Green. A memory of the mistakes we made. A dedication to Jasper. A reminder of Monty and Harper's legacy.

 

EJ nervously shifted, "Um, so my dad said that we need to make sure the planet is safe before we all go down there."

 

I couldn't speak, I could barely think. It's all so surreal. A hundred and seven years ago, I was sent down to the Earth to see if it was survivable. Earth had always been a dream. The thing was, nightmares are dreams too. Earth was heavenly, but the people - _us_ \- we destroyed it. Time and time again.

 

How do we stop making the same mistakes again?

 

* * *

 

Madi looked up at me as we stood in front of the doors to the ejection pod, saying our final goodbyes. The others were all seated, yellow belts strapping them in place, all except Octavia. Octavia leaned against the door frame, facing the line of people watching us leave. Diyoza stood in between Kane and Indra on my right, Ethan stood a foot in front of Indra on the left of her and my mom stood away from the group on the far left. Things were shaky between me and her, the trust definitely gone as she stood shaking from her relapse. I know it's not her fault, but I need her to be strong and she isn't. Not anymore.

 

Madi was angry at me, her fists clenched by her side and her forehead creased. I could see through it; she was terrified. Admittedly, I was scared too. The fear of anything happening to her outweighed the fear of going down to a foreign plant. Madi's eyes were red, but she refused to cry, "Why can't I come with you?" She asked me, deflated and betrayed, "Monty gave me a bracelet too, I should be going down with you."

I stroked her hair, smiling softly, "Madi, you have to stay up here. Once it's safe, you can come down."

"Besides," Octavia added, I turned my head to look at her as she plastered on a fake smile as she joked, "You have a very important job to do; you have to look after Ethan for me."

Ethan's cheeks flushed bright red as he stepped forward, "What? I don't need-"

"You've grown rusty," Indra interrupted smiling, "It seems sleeping for a hundred years has made you slow."

Ethan shook his head, not laughing with joke. He wasn't the only one, Madi remained still, not wanting me to leave. She stared at the ground, thinking before she finally looked up at me, determined as she said, "I will. I'll look after them while you're gone."

I smiled at her, giving her a final kiss on her forehead, "I know you will." I breathed her in one last time, scooping her in my arms one last time. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to.

 

I tore myself from her, scanning the eyes of broken leaders one last time. Diyoza and Indra would keep Madi and Ethan safe, I could count on that. My mom and Kane... not so much. My mom stood, scratching her hand, looking at the floor. Guilt washed over her, she couldn't look at me. She refused. As much as my blood boiled at all the things she's done - I couldn't leave without saying goodbye. "Take care, mom." My boots crossed the threshold into the pod, Octavia took her seat.

 

My mom's lost eyes looked up at me, her lips wearing her shaky smile as she quickly promised, "I-I will, I-I'll take care of Madi-"

"No." I firmly cut her off, raising my hand to the lever, which would lock us in and launch us into the atmosphere, " _You_ take care."

 

Her face fell as the door shut. A sharp breath in before I took my seat in between Murphy and Octavia. Hands quickly fastened the yellow seatbelt as all of our feet met in the middle of the small ejection pod. No windows in sight, the lights shut off to a warm glow. Bellamy grabbed Raven and Jasper's hands, Raven then took Emori's and she took John's. Jasper awkwardly grabbed Ej's, still processing the loss of his friend and the gain of his son. It was a pretty huge adjustment.

 

Murphy smiled warmly at me as I noticed his hand held out for me to clutch. I took his invitation and held my own out to Octavia. Octavia smiled at me, nervous. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling of the pod, her heart racing and her words echoing in her head:

 

_I am not afraid._

 

Shit! The pod detached, the vibrations channeling through all of us. The speed, the gravity was unbearable. I preferred the first time we did this, when we were asleep to wake up on Earth. The world before us and what we thought would be a bright, happy and free future. We were so wrong. I wondered if perhaps this time we could be right...

 

* * *

 

Silence.

 

Yellow belts held us in place. One last thud. All the vibrations ceased. Our belts unclipped simultaneously but none of us moved. This time there were no explosions or deaths, but this time, there was no excitement or pleasure in returning to the ground.

 

Silence.

 

Everyone's eyes looked around the pod, none of us moving to get up and leave. Fear. Fear kept us trapped in this box, fear of the outside. We were no longer naive to the beauty of the world, we knew the horrors that threatened us outside the doors.

 

"So," Murphy broke the silence, "Who wants to go first?"

Bellamy looked at Ej, "I think Ej should. If it wasn't for Monty, none of us would be here."

Ej beamed, "I-I'm honoured that you think it should be me, but I'm sorry, I don't think it's right." He gestured to me, "I-I thinks it's only fitting that Clarke goes first."

 

My jaw dropped, " _Me_???"

Jasper nodded, "Ej's right. After everything, it _should_ be you."

Octavia agreed, "Yeah, it should be. _You_ saved us from the mountain, _you_ killed the switch to ALIE and _you_ waited six years for us. It should be _you_."

 

I looked around the pod, at all of their faces. Half of these people currently hated me. Yes I had saved them but I had also caused them so much unbearable pain. I wasn't worthy.

 

"I say we vote." Bellamy stated, his voice hoarse and his eyes not looking at mine yet he raised his hand and declared, "I say it should be Clarke."

Slowly, all of my friends raised their hands. A small smile pulled at my lips, shocked that they still believed in me. I pushed myself out of the seat, resting a hand on the switch to the unknown. You'd think after all the switches and levers I'd pulled, it'd get easier. Become automatic, second nature even. Instead, it filled me with dread.

 

I breathed in. My eyes glued to my hand resting on the switch. Their eyes waited for me to act but I couldn't. It's not my place to take the first step.

 

My hand remained on the lever as I turned around, facing my friends. I shook my head, "It's not my place to take the first step. I'll pull the lever, but it should be _Octavia_ to be the first person on the ground." I paused, smiling at her as Bellamy's words echoed in my ears, repeated for them all to here, "Give them something to remember you by."

 

Octavia looked at her brother for guidance. His jaw clenched but he didn't protest, instead he agreed, "Clarke's right. First woman on the ground, it should be you. You always were a grounder."

 

Octavia shakily smiled, relieved with her brother's approval. She got up out of her seat, standing in front of the door. My fist clenched around the metal lever, my eyes glued on the door. Octavia breathed in, rubbing her hands together, "It's kinda trippy. Standing here, like this again."

"You can say that again." Jasper mumbled.

 

I counted to three.

 

One...

 

Two...

 

Three.....

 

Mist cleared. Metal clanged on the soil. Boots stomped along the ramp. Leaves crunched as boots landed on the ground.

 

The sun. The leaves. The trees. The blue skies.... it was all just like...  _ **Earth**_.

 

My hand slipped off of the lever, my boots moving me into the open, standing on the ramp, feeling the wind in my hair. The others joined us. All of us, standing in a bunch on the small ramp. All of us breathing it in. It was hard to believe that this wasn't Earth. If it wasn't for the two suns or the shape of an enormous planet with its rings peering through the blue skies, then this would be like the very first time we ever stepped foot on land.

 

Shit.

 

None of us could speak. It was all too familiar. Nothing like the books or films where there would be purple trees and tentacle plants. No green creatures or two headed monsters - not yet at least. Everything was quiet. Perhaps too quiet.

 

Octavia breathed in, her arms by her side as she mumbled, "We're back bitches...."


	2. Serenity

** Octavia **

 

"We're back bitches..."

 

The air kissed my cheeks, the forest almost silent around us. Green and orange leaves swayed in the slight breeze, the two suns streaming through the branches, casting double edged shadows on the ground. Waves rolled into pale beaches, which creeped into the left of the wall of trees. Water trickled by the east, flowing from waterfalls to streams over smooth pebbles to crumbling soil. Serenity.

 

My body glided across the soil, arms spread like wings as they floated through the crisp air, stopping once my body faced the pod. I breathed it in; the sea of grass and the salt of the western sea all soothed my nose, like the very first time I'd ever breathed in the atmosphere of Earth.

 

Clarke joined me, a twinkle in her blue eyes as she held out her palm to catch floating white petals, which drifted down from hanging trees. She turned to face the others, pulling us back down to reality, "What do we do now?"

 

Leaves exploded around Murphy's boots as he threw himself off the ramp, snapping the serenity. He aimed a crooked finger at his band, glare locked on Bellamy, "We take these off, right?" He yelled, branding Bellamy with his previous sins, "You can crawl in my head, feed me bullshit about how I'm a criminal. Then I'll bend over, be your little bitch, then when you're done with me," he threw his arms out to the trees, "you have a selection of trees to pick."

Bellamy flung his arms out, leaves flying up as his boots squashed them. He stomped over to Murphy, stopping an arm's length away as he demanded, "What the hell is your problem?! You've been like this since we landed-"

"That's funny," Murphy cut him off, "We've only been down here a second-"

"No, since Eden." Bellamy sternly said, "You've been off with me. Every time I talk to you, you glare at me, you talk to me in that tone..." he paused, his own tone lowering, softening as he almost begged, "What's wrong, John?"

 

Murphy brushed him off, shrugging, "Nothing." His eyes snapped to Clarke's, "You want to know what we do now?" He barged past Bellamy, hissing as their shoulder's collided, "Whatever the hell we want." Murphy left Bellamy frozen as he sauntered over to Ej. But Bellamy wasn't quite done yet, he locked on Murphy, storming up to him when Raven intercepted his move. She placed her right hand on his shoulder and squeezed his with her left, softly saying, "Let him go."

 

It was like a switch had been pulled.

 

Murphy crouched down beside Ej. Ej knelt in the soil, lining up metal bars on a large, red coloured waterproof material, a rucksack on his back. "What are you doing?" Murphy asked, all anger gone from his tone. Like a switch.

Ej smiled, "Oh, didn't I tell you? My dad gave us four tents and a rucksack each, kept under the undercarriage of the pod." He scratched his head, "The only thing is, I'm not sure which pole goes where."

My forehead creased, "Did Monty leave us anything else?"

Ej's eyes looked at mine, warmth deep inside them, fuelled by the brightest light I had ever seen, "Yeah, he gave us a week's worth of food. But we need water. And, oh! He left us some, well, weapons." His eyes saddened at the last word, he shook his head, looking at the floor, "They're only for emergencies. Two AKs, two pistols, two knives and Octavia's sword." He looked back up at me, his tone certain, " _Only_ for emergencies."

I nodded, "I got it." I smiled, "I'm sure Murphy's good at tents, he can help you." My eyes transferred to Clarke, shifting my head towards Bellamy and Raven, telling her to come over.

 

Raven still squeezed Bellamy's hand as she turned to face us. Bellamy still couldn't look at me, I didn't blame him. Clarke looked at him, "What are we going to do?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, Clarke. Last time we burned down a forest and started a war."

My eyes scanned the area surrounding the pod, "Well, there's no fire."

Bellamy sighed, "No there isn't. But it doesn't mean we're safe. If we build a wall it keeps us safe, but it could also give off the wrong message-"

"So what do we do?" I interrupted, my tone level, "Should we leave? Find them before they find us?"

Bellamy looked uncertain, "Where would we go? And for all we know, they're already _watching_ us-"

"You just said building a wall isn't our best option." I cut him off, growing impatient, "Monty told us to do things differently, exploring _is_ different."

Bellamy shook his head, "It's too dangerous. We know _nothing_ about this place. We don't know what plants to eat, what animals live here or even _who_ lives here. Besides, we don't want to be walking out in the dark. Especially when we don't know how many hours of light we-"

"Twelve." Ej spoke up, walking over to us, his tent now built, "It's an Earth cycle. Except, every five days there's an eclipse that lasts six hours, the temperature is cooler, but still survive-able. The gravity is stronger, so there's two-eighty days in a year. But the planet, Kepler Four-Five-Two-Two B, works similarly to Earth." Ej smiled sheepishly, "I should've told you this back up there."

Bellamy gruffly nodded, "Probably. Better late than never."

"So?" I pressed, "What do you decide?"

Bellamy looked at Ej promoting him to talk seeing as he knew more about this place than any of us, Ej shrugged, "I mean, we don't have equipment to chop down trees and carry them. Perhaps we should get water and then head off towards the beach?"

Bellamy nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

 

* * *

 

Water skipped over my fingers, cold but refreshing. Beads of sweat gathered on my forehead, my jacket tucked in my zipped up rucksack and the temptation to cut my black jeans was growing all the more desirable. It was hot down here to say the least. Birds and crickets agrees around us as they chirped away, hidden in the trees and bushes. The creatures still remained a hidden mystery, leaving us not knowing whether we were the hunters or the hunted.

 

Rocks skimmed across the freshwater lake, waterfalls pooled into it on my left. The lake was south east of the pod, only me and Jasper sat by it, filling our bottles. Well, I filled them, he skimmed rocks. Ripples formed thrice before the smooth stones sunk into the smooth lake. Jasper had been quiet since we came down, barely spoke a word to us.

 

I looked to him, his t-shirt sleeves rolled up, his jeans cuffed too and a cap on his head. His facial hair was growing again but his curls still remained, he looked tired. "I miss him too." I softly said, my voice careful not to crack the fragile, suffocating peace of this world. Every noise seemed to be cushioned by the consuming green bushes and tall vines that hung huge flowers, some bigger than our bodies. Colours and fragrances of the pink, purple and blue flowers dragged us in, but the toxic yellow centres yelled at us to stay away. Even the plants down here told my gut not to get too close.

 

Pebbles smashed against each other as Jasper played with them in his already grubby fingers, his eyes watching the river, "I-I just - It's just, I miss him." His words seemed to linger, as if he wanted to say more but something stopped him. My fingers screwed the ribbed bottle lid back on the final bottle, zipping my rucksack up with all eight inside. Jasper stared at his beat up boots as I got to my feet, throwing the rucksack over my shoulder as I placed a hand on his, squeezing it lightly, "You've got me, Jasper."

His brown eyes looked at mine, still unsure.

I smiled, removing my hand from his shoulder and playfully slapping him on the side of his arm, "Well, I'm glad you're here, you can save me from some river snakes."

He played along, "Yeah, definitely don't think we should repeat that; as much as I love 'saving the girl,' I'd rather not get eaten."

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right." I paused, "But, that cool water does seem tempting right now."

He nodded, "Yeah, it's hot. But we should probably head back."

I sighed, "Agreed."

 

Jasper skimmed his remaining pebbles across the running water before we made our way through the thick forest back to camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my first chapter, I was actually shocked it did so well.
> 
> As you can see, I’m trying to be more descriptive to actually paint the world around them and I’m enjoying it. However, the dialogue seemed difficult in this chapter to write, im not convinced that the convo between Bellamy and Octavia, and Octavia and Jasper are that good or fluent, but I tried.
> 
> Also, I’m not sure how long it’ll take for me to post parts as I’m still figuring out the direction of this story and it’s exam season so I need to revise and stuff, I’ll try and post at least once a week. But yeah, thanks for reading.
> 
> Also, a quick side note: Richard and Rihannon are so cute together! I don’t really take much notice of real life relationships, and obvs I don’t ship Montari because it was rape. But Rihannon and Richard are sooo adorable, he legit commented on all her posts haha <3 #Richannon I think they look cute together too, they are both 10/10 from me anyway haha


	3. Therapist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna post a side story called: Watchtower if you guys want to read it.
> 
> It’s a modern story with:  
> Clarke + Lexa  
> Bellamy + Original Girl  
> Murphy + Jasper  
> Octavia + Lincoln 
> 
> Feel free to check it out :-)
> 
> I hope you enjoy the next chapter in Battle of Demons <3

** _Raven_ **

 

Murphy sat alone on a tree stump, hacking away at a thick tree beach with his knife. Octavia and Jasper had gone to get water, Bellamy, Clarke and Ej were rounding up supplies and Emori was taking a nap inside the pod.

 

Slowly I made my way over to Murphy, trying to approach him quietly, as if he was a wild bear that if any wrong move was made, he would strike back. The air still bubbled from his shouting match with Bellamy, and I knew that I had to nip it in the bud. Once I was close, I softly said, "Hey."

His piercing blue eyes looked up at me as he saw me coming, "Did your mighty King send you?" Murphy sarcastically said as I sat on the ground next to him, both of us facing the direction of the creeping sands on the horizon.

I rolled my eyes, "Please, nobody tells me what to do."

Murphy smirked, "I know that." A reminder of the things we did on the Ark. Him and Emori weren't always so in love; after the first year, Murphy went into his own dark year. They were fighting constantly, Murphy had fell into a depression and Emori was growing tired of it; she couldn't take anymore, so she had to end it. Things were awkward for three years, Murphy isolated himself and refused to be in the same room as Emori, it was childish and difficult. But one day, they saw the light and they finally sorted things out. They both knew that they loved each other; they can't live without each other. And now they have a baby on the way.

 

"What's wrong, Murphy?" I gently asked, breaking our teasing banter. Murphy only listened to Emori, but since his struggle on the Ark, he now listens to me.

Murphy shrugged, "Your boyfriend's a dick."

I rolled my eyes at his remark, "Childish insults to avoid the problem? How _mature_ of you."

Murphy sighed, taking down his front, "I-I don't know, Raven. I don't know what came over me, I just felt this huge rush of anger. It was like I could see it all, y'know? Every selfish, cruel thing he did to me was there. Even though it was years and years ago, it felt in that moment like it was about to happen again and I had to stop it. He was lucky I just yelled at him, because I wanted to - to _kill_ him." Murphy looked at me, a deep fear and sadness in his eyes.

 

"Are you saying, what? You lost control?" I asked him, my own fear creeping up inside me. Could there be something down here that triggers our anger? That digs into our old wounds and rips open the scars?

Murphy shrugged again, "I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just groggy from sleeping for a hundred years."

I nodded, "Yeah, maybe." I teased, "You've _always_ been groggy after you wake up."

Murphy protested, "Have not. And at least you _can_ wake me, unlike you."

I shook my head, "That is not true."

Murphy grinned, "Oh, I haven't even mentioned the _snoring_ -"

"I do not _snore_." I cut him off, shaking my head in fake anger at his teasing. Murphy shrugged playfully and I retaliated by shoving him lightly, "I do not!"

 

"Hey." A low voice stated, cutting the fun as we both turned to look at Octavia standing behind us, she held out two metal bottles of water, "I got you these."

I grabbed the cold flask in my hands, water droplets slightly dampening my palms from the stream, "Thank you." I stated, tension brewing in the air.

Octavia slightly turned her body, pointing to a lone Jasper, who leant against a tree, watching Ej and Bellamy talk.

 

I sighed, getting to my feet, placing a soft hand on Murphy's shoulder as I quietly said, "I'll go to talk to him." My eyes met Octavia's as I stood level with her behind Murphy, "Did he say anything by the River?"

Octavia looked down at the floor, her own emotion showing through, "He misses him."

My hands restricted themselves to my body, unable to reach out to soothe Octavia's pain, the six years between us has created more division than we could ever imagine, "We all miss him." I softly said, hoping my empathy could reach her.

Octavia nodded in agreement, but remained silent. Instead of responding with words, she turned her back on us, walking away.

 

"Hey." I softly said as I reached Jasper, his sad brown eyes turned to look at mine. I followed his gaze to see Eden packing his bag, checking through his equipment to make sure he had everything. Every tent was packed, every bottle and food pouch. At least Ej escaped the pain of building a tent for now.

 

I turned my attention back to Jasper, "I know, it's strange. Are you okay?"

Jasper continued to watch Ej, "Yeah. I-it's just, I don't know. I keep seeing Monty and I'm not sure how to feel." He looked at the floor, standing with his fingers interlocked and his right thumb rubbing dry skin on his left palm. His brows furrowed, "I know it's not Ej's fault. He didn't asked to be put on this world, but I can't help thinking that I wish Monty was here and not him."

 

I swallowed, looking at Ej. He had Monty's huge grin on his face as he threw his backpack on over his shoulder, Harper's dimples in his cheeks. He caught sight of us watching and gave Monty's straight one-wave greet at us. He was a spitting image of Monty, but I knew as much as it pained us, we had to protect him. He was Monty's legacy. This planet is Monty's legacy and now we must do everything we can to keep both things alive. We have to make Monty proud.

 

"I understand." I softly said to Jasper, trying to reassure him that he wasn't a dick for feeling that way; we all felt it.

Jasper's eyes met mine, "Raven, I don't want to fight again. I can't."

His pain poured out of him, his fears relaying all of ours. None of us knew what lurked in the forest and none of us wanted to fight. Not again. Not after everything we've been through. But, as much as we dream of peace, it's not reality. As much as I want to tell Jasper and Ej that the weapons we have won't be used, I know that it might not be true. Instead, I put on a smile and say, "It's time to go to the beach."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question because I like to spice up the ships, so in the future would you like to see:
> 
> Option A:  
> Raven + Murphy  
> Bellamy + Male Character
> 
> Option B:  
> Raven + Bellamy  
> Murphy + Male character
> 
> Disclaimer: I may not necessarily do the ones you pick, I am leaning more to Option A as I struggle with Bellamy and Raven and their romance arc. And I feel in the last story Raven was just an attachment to Bellamy and I want to do more Raven stuff. I’ve also never written a Murven fic either whereas Bellamy and Raven were in Fear The 100, and if I ever continued that story they’d probably be together. The ships won’t change for a while though, it’ll be a gradual change.
> 
> Also, I’ve not actually stated the ages of Ej or Madi, so in my story I’m thinking Ej should be 18 and Madi should be 14. Clarke would’ve found her when she was 7/8.


	4. Birthdays

** Octavia Blake **

 

We come running. Well, Ej does. Pulling his shirt over his head, unbuckling his trousers as they fall into the sands. Shoes and socks fly off his feet as he throws himself into the waters of the new world, shrieking as the waves hit his flesh. Bellamy chases after him, but for a much different reason as he yells, "Be careful!"

Raven just smiles as she walks behind, picking up Ej's belongings in her hands. Murphy and Emori find a spot and sit on the beach, watching the commotion.

 

Me and Clarke, we hang behind, watching from the border of the forest to the beach. My arms are folded as I smile, "We were that stupid once."

Clarke nods, her blue eyes watching Ej paddle in the ocean, "I know. I kind of miss it." She then turned to look at me, "Do you think I should've left Madi behind? She would've loved this."

I looked back at Ej, having fun in his innocent eighteen year old bliss, the dangers just fiction to him. My eyes looked back at Clarke, "I think you did what you think is best. We don't know what exists down here. Just because there's no man eating snakes, doesn't mean that there's not something bigger and hungrier waiting to kill us."

Clarke smiled slightly, "Thank you." She then sighed, looking back at the beach, "The timing is just shit. It's her birthday tomorrow and I won't be there. I haven't even got her anything."

 

Birthdays. Something I'd forgotten. There was no room or time for celebration down in the bunker. Celosia still celebrated, I have no idea how she kept track or where she found the materials to make us presents, but she did. Me and Miller both. Celosia was always a ray of light down there and now she's gone. Her and the flame, both burned to ashes. Monty said there was no life, not even the Night Blood could save her.

 

My eyes looked back up at Clarke's, "At least you can radio her on the bracelets. How old is she?"

Clarke sighed, "Fourteen. I feel so old, but she's growing up so fast."

My own heart sighed at her confession. When _did_ we all get so old? Physically, the majority of us, Clarke, Raven, myself, Murphy and Jasper are only twenty three to twenty four years old, we should be still living out our youth, never slowing down. But mentally, we have lived a thousand lifetimes.

 

Clarke looked away from the beach, her eyes watching me closely, the crease returning on her forehead as she asked a question, "Why did you go back for my mom?"

I refused to meet her blue eyes, swallowing instead. Heartbeats quickened, palms begun to clam up. I wasn't quite sure myself. Part of me wanted to leave Abby to die. Both her and Kane, sat on their high horses whilst they look down their noses at us. But I couldn't do it to Clarke. "I-I just," I paused, looking down at the sands under my boots, "I couldn't do that to you."

 

I expected a follow up question, but it never came. Clarke stepped in front of me instead, holding a hand out towards me, like the one in the pod. I didn't hesitate, I took it unthinkingly. Strangely, it felt natural. Warm, _safe_. I didn't ask questions, I let her guide me down the beach to the waters edge. She smiled at me, another memory, "I think we should go for a swim. Now that we both can."

 

Behind Clarke, even Murphy and Emori had taken off their shoes and socks, rolling up their jeans as they paddled in the gentle waves. Raven and Jasper sat with the bags further up the beach, watching Ej still splashing around. Bellamy also watched, his arms folded and brow furrowed; Sucking the fun out of everything. Clarke kicked off her boots and socks, I copied, fingertips unhooking my belt, sliding my leather trousers down my roasting legs. Clarke unbuttoned her jeans, her blue eyes looking at mine, the tide starting to sting our ankles. Before she could change her mind, I grabbed her hand, leading her into the water. Her lips parted, a sharp breath in at the freezing water, she bit her lip to contain her shrieks at the water.

 

I smiled at her, both of us had water mid thigh. Whilst the water was refreshing from the hot weather, it was still cold. My hand still held hers as we faced the horizon, water for miles and miles. Nothing else in sight. The sun shone above us, glinting off of the water surface and warming Clarke's face. Her eyes smiled for the first time since my first swim. In this moment, she was _living_ , not just surviving. In this moment, I too was _happy_.

 

Her hand fell from mine. Water shocked me. Clarke laughing as she read my face. Icy spray hit my face as she splashed me, laughing at my surprise. I playfully threatened, "Oh you think that's funny?"

Clarke just shrugged, containing her giggles. Using both my hands, I sent more water her way, she just laughed before splashing me back, harder than the first time and completely soaking me from head to toe. Gently, I shoved her into the water, she landed on her arse, dunking under briefly before coming back up, now I giggled at her dampened wavy locks. She raised an eyebrow, "You want to play dirty?

My turn to shrug as she snaked her hands to latch onto one of my arms, tugging me forward into the water. I let her pull me down, my breath blew away as the water soaked through my vest top, freezing my shoulders too. Clarke's fingers intertwined with mine, both hands in hers, both of us sat with legs under water, semi-crouched. Our body heat warmed the sea as we _saw_ each other for the first time. The water droplets on her pale skin, some freckles poking through. Her long hair was gone, but the shorter wavy hair suited her, the ends just above her shoulders. Her eyes matched the water, bright blue. Clarke was beautiful. My heart skipped a beat. All my heart wanted was her pink lips to be on mine. But my head had other plans... and so did Bellamy.

 

"Hey, I think we should dry off, have something to eat and move on." He stated, looking out at me and Clarke, Ej now out of the water and heading over to a fire, which Raven had started, near the bag pile.

Clarke looked at Bellamy, nodding as our hands unlocked again. She lifted out of the water, bending over to grab her things and then joining the others by the fire. Bellamy stared at me, his eyes judging me again.

I snapped, "What now, Bellamy?"

He looked at me, stern, "You just be careful, yeah? Whatever your plan is, don't get Clarke hurt."

Bellamy went to turn away, anger lit up inside me as I stormed out of the water after him, "Whatever my _plan_ is? What the hell are you on about?"

Bellamy stopped in his tracks, turning back round to look at me. He just shrugged. He just shrugged before continuing on his path to the fire. Leaving me to watch him walk away.

 

* * *

 

The fire crackled, our clothes hanging from a near by tree to blow in the wind, trying to dry them off as we sat in our underwear. Bellamy stirred a pot of space food, a bowl for all of us; Monty had made sure we well prepared for surviving this place. The sky had started to turn a gold and red colour, streaks of both colours across the sky for miles. Trees still consumed the hillsides and cliffs around us, no sign of civilisation and by the looks of things, no place for us to sleep tonight. At least not the with inhabitants of this place.

 

"There's cave," Murphy told us, standing behind Emori as he returned from his walk, "It's just down the beach, admittedly we have to do a little climbing, but it should be safe for tonight."

Bellamy nodded as he started to dish out the meal, Emori was the first to receive her dish as she sat on a log opposite me, Ej on her right, followed by Raven. Jasper sat on the floor in between Raven and Clarke, who sat on the same log as me on my left. Bellamy handed me my bowl without looking at me, the air between us still tense. I had no idea if we could ever fix the broken mess between us, perhaps too much has happened.

 

The food was like porridge, who knew what was in it. It glooped off of the spoon, runny and sloppy. It tasted like shit too. Each mouthful made me want to throw it back up, but I kept eating. I had trained to eat. If you can eat your friends, you can eat sloppy, shitty porridge. One last mouthful and we all finished, quickly packing our backs and throwing on our slightly damp, but mostly dry clothes as the first of the two suns disappeared, sending the world into partial darkness. We had to move quick, praying that the monsters wouldn't come out at night.

 

Just as the second sun disappeared, we all made it into the small cave. Small was an understatement. We all had to crawl in, hands and knees. And all of us had to sleep in a row, side by side. Bellamy and Murphy managed to hide the cave entrance with some leaves, all that was left was for us to try and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day.

 

Bigger than we'd ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice, calm chapter. Thank you all for reading, I’m glad you’re enjoying the series :-)
> 
> In other news, I just joined a group for students at my university, it’s mad to think in four months I’ll be living in a new city with 7 other girls my age....


	5. Sky

**_ Jasper _ **

 

I lie awake, staring at the cracks and ridges of the cave ceiling as the daylight crawls in. I know I slept last night, in between Murphy's back, as he spooned Emori, and Ej, who chose to sleep on his stomach, but it didn't feel like it. Bellamy spooned Raven next to Ej, and Clarke laid with her back to Raven, facing Octavia's. Octavia laid for hours, like me, staring at the bumps in the cave wall before she could fall asleep, going over every single painful memory her brain tortured her with. She's about had enough.

 

Me and her both.

 

It's hard to deal with it all; do I grieve Skye, a girl I barely trusted and knew, yet felt there could be a slither of hope? Or Monty, my best friend, brother even?

 

A salty tear rolls down my cheek and Ej turns in his sleep. I swallow, my head turning slightly to see him. His warm skin and dark hair with flecks on blonde within in it. His cheeks were chubby, still had his teen puppy fat. I know Monty would want me to care for him, but I can't. I'm too selfish. The sight of him makes me sick. He looks like a perfect mix of them, it's not his fault he has his Monty's eyes. It's not his fault he's not Monty.

 

I sigh. Breathing in the air on the shore. Not that it feels like there's much air as I stand on the beach, the skies clear above me. The water seemed slightly choppier than usual, like a storm was brewing. My eyes turned to the forest.

 

My eyes widened as they turned to the forest.

 

I took a step closer, rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

 

"Guys," I called, by tone fearful, "You need to come see this."

 

Creatures the size of hands, painted green crawled across the sands in rows towards the beach. Winged creatures fled from the forest. Something inside me told me to run too.

 

Bellamy gasped as he took it in, the others coming to join our shock and horror, standing to match our cave formation. Lightning struck, almost as if it lit the way; Under its lightning bolt stood a thatched roof, just poking over the canopy of the woods. Thunder rumbled and the rain begun to pour. Warm, not like Earth's. Hot and dense.

 

Bellamy muttered, "Let's see who's home."

 

* * *

 

Canopies kept us dry, the sound of rain was the only one to be heard as it hit the humongous leaves sheltering us from the storm. We trudged through the woods as insects and bugs, crawled and flew in the opposite direction to our paths. Flowers closed their petals, forming big green buds instead. The forest had hid itself away. My gut told me to hide too.

 

We reached a stone wall and iron fence, finally coming to a small clearing where five huts sat. Bellamy climbed over the wall, creaking the gate open eerily as we took in the new place.

 

Five huts sat on a greenish lake, a wooden bridge leading from the fence to a stone hut at the furthest part of the lake, a cliff side with crashing waves behind it and some crops growing on the land either side of it, a small bridge sprouting off from right side of it to allow access to the farmlands. The main wooden bridge had two paths branching off of it either side, leading to a wooden hut at the end of each one. All the huts had open hatch windows and nobody seemed to be home, yet by the growth of the crops, this place seemed far from abandoned.

 

Bellamy lead us, boots standing before the step to the wooden bridge, calling out as the rain soaked him, "Is anyone there? Come out, we mean no harm."

 

Silence.

 

Clarke and Octavia shared a glance on my left, Octavia's hand hesitating over her sword as the rain dripped off of her tattooed shoulders. Murphy took off his jacket, giving it Emori to wear as they stood behind me on my right, Raven stood behind Bellamy and Ej stood by the gate, all of us unsure what to do next.

 

Murphy took matters into his own hands, leaving Emori to barge past Bellamy. We all watched him as his boots banged on the wooden bridge, he walked up to the first hut on the right, knocking on its red door, "Hello? Anyone in there?" He waited a second, before placing a hand on the door handle and pushing down on it, much to our amazement, the door creepily creaked open like the iron gate.

 

Murphy turned round to look at us, "I guess we can shelter in here until the storm passes or they come home." He peered his head inside, "There's a bed in here too, and a fire." He looked to Emori, waving her over. Emori didn't wait, skipping up the steps and disappearing inside. Murphy looked back at Bellamy, "We should look around some more, see if there's any clues as to who lives here."

Bellamy nodded, it was strange us following instructions from Murphy.

 

Murphy walked across the bridge, heading towards the next hut on the right. Clarke walked up the steps, heading into the hut with Emori inside, Ej following too. Octavia walked to first hut on the left and Bellamy went into the second. Myself, I headed into the only stone hut.

 

The sandstone hut was medium sized, as I stepped through the door, wooden benches sat in a diagonal line, facing the wall next to me. My body turned to look at the focal point, seeing two stone paintings: one with a sun painted on it and one with a skull painted on in it. Below the paintings was a small, wooden table with candles and potted flowers on it, implying that the paintings were possibly a shrine.

 

My eyes turned to the back wall, where a piano sat against some windows, that looked out onto the cliff's edge. I stood by the window, peering out at the skies, hairs starting to stand on end for no apparent reason why. The sky turned red: Red in the Morning, Shepherd's Warning. My skin crawled as I noticed the two suns aligning, a red mist aligning as the light around us dulled but not to a complete darkness. A bell tolled behind me. Loud and clear. My heart beat with it.

 

The mist crawled up the lake's edge, almost like a fog as the sea disappeared from view. The fog closed in, circling the temple, as I could only see a metre from the windows. The world around me gone. My gut told me to stay inside. Do not leave this temple. I am safe here but not out there. Listening to the warning, I sit on a bench, shielding my ears from the commotion outside...

 

* * *

 

** _Clarke_ **

 

A bell tolled. The world falling silent as the door to our chosen hut slammed shut. Emori jumped at the sound of it as she sat on the sofa, facing an unlit fireplace on the wall left of the front door. Ej stood in the kitchen area, the house was confusing as although it seemed natural, it had electricity for the fridge and oven to work as well as pipes for clean water for a working kitchen sink and bathroom, which was behind a door opposite the front door. This hut had stairs leading to an open bedroom, placed above the bathroom.

 

My hands grabbed the door knob, trying to pull it down as Octavia slammed her fist on the other side of the thick wooden door, which refused to open. "Clarke." A voice said, my body freezing for I hadn't heard that voice in over six years. "Clarke." She repeated, I could feel her standing behind me, looking over my right shoulder. I slowly turned around to see her standing there, no war paint on and her hair hanging low and free, unbraided. The relaxed Lexa I had known, "Clarke," she softly said, "You need to shut the windows, Clarke."

I nodded, my mind unable to speak as I turned to the kitchen windows, pulling the wooden hatches shut. I made my way to the open bedroom and shut those windows too, hiding the red mist outside. Lexa looked at me as we stood on the upper level, the others just sat downstairs, unsure of what was happening. Lexa smiled at me, "You did good, Clarke." She reached a ghostly hand out towards me, but I let it fall, taking a step back from her. Whatever this was, it wasn't real. I shook my head, looking down at the floor and taking another step back, my body hitting another. A soft voice whispered, "Hey Princess..."

I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing in as I turned around, reopening my eyes to see my first love: Finn. Finn smiled at me, a smile that had been fading from memory. His brown eyes sparkled, the way they always did when we were eighteen. I let his fingers push back loose strands of hair, watching his body disperse into nothingness, like smoke.

 

I sighed. Piecing myself back together again, just as a gun shot fired.

 

A gun fired.

 

Emori bolted for the door, her hand desperately turning the door handle, her voice yelling, "John?!"

I raced down the steps, Lexa reappearing as she warned, "Do not open the door, Clarke."

Emori's hands slammed on the wooden door, yelling, "John?! John?! What's happened?! John?!"

I put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to face me, her brown eyes scowling at mine, "Emori, stop!"

"Stop?!" Emori yelled, "Are you crazy?! Didn't you hear the gunshot?"

I nodded, "Yes, but we can't open the door."

Emori's forehead creased, "Why the hell not?"

I shrugged, feeling helpless as Lexa's ghost watched me, "I-I just have feeling. You have to trust me, we can't open the door-"

"A feeling?" She infuriately laughed, "Well, I've got a _feeling_ that my boyfriend could be dead out there, so help me open this goddamn door!"

Ignoring the ghost of Lexa, I began throwing my body weight into the door, hoping my friends out there were alright. Hoping that we would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I messed up the tags again lol.
> 
> Firstly, I tagged this as Bellamy/Clarke because I added it after and put it in the wrong box and the reason was because it was tagged in the first story (when I was unsure what ship to go with) and as it’s a series I was unsure whether the tags should be the same or not?
> 
> Secondly, I tagged Clarke as Lesbian because I thought Octavia was Bi as I forgot Lincoln is a girl in this. And because Skye, Miller and soon to be Jasper* were/are bi, I thought Clarke should be gay. But now I’ve realised Lincoln was a girl in this, Clarke will be Bi and Octavia a lesbian. I understand some people were upset with me tagging Clarke as a lesbian, but seeing as I changed Octavia’s, Jasper’s*, Miller’s and Skye’s sexualities, I thought changing Clarke’s from Bi to Lesbian would be okay, considering the others were all Bi, therefore Bi Representation would be still hugely present in this story. 
> 
> So just to clarify:
> 
> Clarke = Bi  
> Jasper* = Bi  
> Octavia = Lesbian
> 
> *Edited: Original note said Bellamy rather than Jasper, but if you read my series you’ll know I’m true to my Star Sign as I’m indecisive haha. If you wanna see Gay Bellamy, see WatchTower


	6. Arms

** Octavia **

 

Wood vibrated under my fist as I pounded it into the locked door, screaming, "Clarke!"

 

Bong!!!

 

BONG!!!

 

**BONG!!!**

 

The bell rang as a red mist descended around us, drowning us in it. My body turned around, back against the door as me and Bellamy shared a worried look.

 

"Bellamy!" A voice boomed as Murphy stepped out from his hut, blade in hand as his eyes had a darkness inside them; all blue eradicated. Dark pits for eyes instead as his stare locked on Bellamy's.

 

 

RU-U-UN!!

 

I bolted past Bellamy, throwing myself over the stone wall, storming through the forest. Legs moving as fast as cheetahs as I charged downhill. Unsure of where I was going, all I knew was I was going.

 

Foot caught a branch.

 

Shit.

 

Roll, tumble, crash.

 

Land in a heap as my head and body smash into a tree stump, stopping my fall as the world blackens.

 

* * *

 

Boot buckles bounced as legs carried me through the forest, strong arms cradling me as my eyes slowly opened. Fur covered the dark skin, showing a neck exposed, as I looked up to the strong jawline. Heart beats in my ear, as it pressed to their warmth. Their hair in dreadlocks, pulled in a side ponytail, as it tickles my cheek. Warpaint is gone from their cheeks, brown eyes look down at my now open ones. Lincoln.

 

My black clothes are gone, dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, magenta tank top on display as the top half is unbuttoned. Lincoln sets me down. I stand, fearful as she sweeps back hair from my face, her fingers soft and delicate. So much has happened. I couldn't make my eyes meet hers, fearful of the hate she would feel. She would hate me for what I've done, all the death and destruction.

 

Knees fall into the mud, kneeling before her, bowing my head in guilt. I shut my eyes as my tears poured down my face, mixing with the pouring rain. Thunder rumbled and lighting pierced through the red skies, the fog starting to mask the trees around me. My eyes opened, different boots stood before me; black thigh boots, leather skin tight trousers and a black tank top. Arms were now olive, tattoo on her shoulder and piercing green eyes sized me up. Blood spread across her forehead and she gripped her sword in her fist. My own fist held the heavy weight of a sword. I stared up at her, crying, "Please..."

 

She stared silent, watching. She would give me no mercy. I was too weak to fight. She raised her sword, I squeezed my eyes shut....

 

....A gun cackled....

 

Rain wet my skin. Eyes opening, my body laid in the fallen leaves. Spine hurt, blood trickled down my forehead, hurting too. I sat up, seeing the mist. Blodreina was gone. Lincoln was gone. I was not.

 

* * *

 

** Bellamy **

 

"Bellamy!" Murphy boomed, his eyes black as coal as they stared at me. His blade reflected the orange lightning, droplets of illuminated red water, falling from his knife. He sauntered over, "I've been thinking, real hard, about yesterday-"

"It's forgotten." I stated, my feet remaining where they stood, but Octavia's fled.

Murphy shook his head, "No, no, I can assure you, it's not." He advanced towards me, speech in his usual low tone, "I think I _should_ tell you what's pissing me off. Let's go over all the things, yeah?"

I nodded, a single nod, feeling nervous as he stood an arms length in front of me, playing his blade in his hands, "Yeah. You wanna talk," I threw my arms out, "Let's talk, I'm all ears." I held my right arm towards him, "But give me the knife, yeah?"

Murphy shook his head, his eyes fixed on the blade as he held the point between his fingers, the handle clutched in his fist, "No bueno. If I give it you, you might accuse me of something I never did. You might banish me, send me into whatever hell exists in these woods. I'll spend all my time, trying to apologise, trying to prove to you I'm on your side." His eye locked on mine, his words filled with poison, toxicity in his veins, "I'll risk my _life_ for you. But then it will never be good enough, will it, King Bellamy? I see the way you look at me, looking down your nose at me-"

"That's not true, John." I softly said, trying to keep him calm.

Murphy pointed his blade at me, "Yes. It is. And I am done!" He swung his blade at me, I ducked in time, grabbing his armed arm, his other punched me in the ribs, making me cough. I still prevailed, keeping a grip on his weaponised arm, managing to regain strength to drive my elbow into the bend of his arm, the knife clattering on the ground. His head crashed down into mine, my hands flying to my forehead in pain. He shoved me back, on to the wooden bridge. Winded, I struggled to sit up as he approached me, knife reclaimed in his hand. I tried to push myself up, but he stood over me, kicking me back down, only to grab my jacket in his empty fist, pulling my throat to his blade. His eyes were gone. Something inside him that _wasn't_ him.

 

I pleaded, "Please, John, _don't_ do this! This isn't you."

Murphy flashed his teeth, snarling, "Shut up, Bellamy. You will pay for everything you have done." The blade was cold against my throat, I was powerless.

 

"Murphy!" A voice shouted, making Murphy remove the knife from my throat, but he still held me in his grip. We looked to the barrel of a gun aimed at him. Raven's finger over the trigger.

Something in Murphy stirred.

Something in Raven stirred.

 

"Put. The knife. Down." Raven shakily said, her body vibrating.

Murphy shook his head, turning back to me, the knife coming to close to my face.

 

Bang!

 

Murphy Screamed in pain, but my ears were numb as I shoved him backwards, the knife grazing my cheek as it fell from his fist. The door to Clarke's hut began to crack. Raven stood over Murphy, gun still aimed as she stared down at his wound. I pushed myself up, standing behind Raven as I saw his shoulder bleeding. Raven still locked on her target, pained. Fighting an internal conflict. I put my hand over the gun and the other on her shoulder, "Raven..."

Her eyes flickered to mine, tears in them. She let go of the gun, crouching beside Murphy.

 

The door burst open, Clarke eyes frantic as she looked at me and then at Murphy. Emori barged past her, crouching down beside Murphy, "John? What happened?"

Murphy's eyes glared at me, "Ask him."

Emori looked at me confused, and then at Raven.

Raven choked, "I-I shot him." She looked at Clarke, "Do something. That's _your_ job. Remember? Or have you forgotten that?"

Clarke swallowed, pushing hair behind her ears as she crouched beside Murphy, ripping the arm off of his shirt, examining his shoulder, "It went straight through. We need to get inside and cauterise his wound. Then bandage it."

 

Murphy tried to get up, his shoulder in too much pain. I held out a hand, but he yelled, "Get off me! I don't _need_ you, Bellamy." Emori helped him to his feet instead, leading him into Clarke's cabin and sitting him down on the sofa. The door shut behind us. Raven sat in the kitchen area, clearly wanting space, so I let her be as I lit the fire, standing by it as Murphy sat on the sofa, Clarke crouched in front of him, Emori sat next to him. Ej set to work finding and/or making a bandage.

 

Murphy still seethed with rage, "I bet you love this, don't you?"

Clarke ignored him, as she held pressure over his wound, using ripped cloth from her t-shirt.

Murphy continued, "Just like old times." His gaze flickered up to me, "The King and the Princess, working together for 'their people' - though, that doesn't quite include _all_ of us."

The knife glowed orange, I handed it to Clarke, but took my place back against the wall once she'd grabbed it. She looked up at Murphy, "This might hurt a little."

Murphy shrugged, "Faced worse, right?" He grit his teeth, panting as Clarke pressed the hot metal against the front and then the back of his shoulder. "Like. Nothing." Murphy panted after it was over, Clarke sat on the coffee table in front of him, Murphy looked at her, "I've missed this." He sarcastically said, "Missed the joys of the adventures of Clarke and Bellamy, the two hero's sacrificing their precious lives for us... course, it's all bullshit." He looked at me, "I get it, I know I was an ass when we first landed, but I was just doing what _you_ said. After all, _you_ were the one that told us to take the bracelets off. _You_ were the one that would've killed Raven, if Clarke didn't stop you." He smiled, "It's funny, you hated her. Then you were friends, when precious Finn went off the rails, all you wanted was to see your precious princess, just for her to leave you. All alone. Gotta hurt, right?” He paused, looking down at his scuffed boots as he bitterly said, “Almost as much as when I helped Clarke with Lexa. Y’know, I thought I was finally part of the team. I was pretty shocked when she chained me up, whilst she sacrificed my girlfriend." His eyes looked back at me, "But, I guess she did leave you in the pits to die. So, swings and roundabouts."

 

"Enough." My voice sternly said, "We've all done things, Murphy. Clarke saved us all, remember? We would've died in Praimfaya if it wasn’t her."

Murphy shrugged, standing up, "Guess you're right." He made his way upstairs, Emori sadly smiled at us both before leaving us alone. Well, as alone as possible in this open-plan hut. Raven still sat in the kitchen, Ej dealing with Murphy's wound upstairs. Clarke turned to look at me, smiling thankfully at me. Rescuing her again. But something dark stirred in me too.

 

A knock at the door saved us from any words leaving my tongue. I made my way to the door, pulling it open to see my sister, covered in rain and shaken, blood running down her head. Despite everything, I still cared, "What happened?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally nobody was gonna get shot, but I changed my mind. As you can see, all of their unresolved and unspoken feelings are stirring...
> 
> Also, I know that there’s an emphasis on Blodreina being Octavia’s demon, but I think Lincoln’s memory is. Lincoln obviously would’ve been against what Octavia had to turn to, and I think she fears their judgement. In truth, I think Lincoln would’ve understood, their love for Octavia is unconditional.


	7. Blame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess there’s a mental health trigger in this, so be careful, readers discretion is advised.

** _Clarke_ **

 

The door opened and Octavia came in, rain soaking her clothes to her skin and blood running down her forehead. Bellamy sounded my thoughts as I stood up from the coffee table and walked towards her, "What happened?"

Octavia said nothing, instead my fingers pushed back the hair on her face, my eyes worriedly examining the cut.

Octavia answered Bellamy's question, her eyes on mine, "I-I don't know. I just remember yelling and then I ran and I fell and when I woke up, I was laid in front of a tree, my back aching and a cut on my head." She paused, her eyes worried as she looked at me, "I heard a gunshot and I ran as quick as I could-"

 

"I shot Murphy." Raven said.

 

”I shot Murphy.” She repeated, coming to stand near the door, at the bottom of the steps. Octavia looked at her, but didn't push further, instead I grabbed her hand, leading her to the sofa. She sat down and winced as I wiped her cut, using medicinal supplies EJ had found. Her eyes twinkled in the candlelight and the girl I knew all those years ago started to come through. I wondered if it was wrong to look at her like that, when she's just so nice to look at. I've mourned Lexa's death, but part of me didn't know if I _could_ feel those feelings again... especially when I'm still not sure what those feelings are or even if she feels them too. After all, Octavia hasn't grieved at all, forced to fight something much darker than any of us could imagine.

 

Raven came and stood by the end of her sofa, a look on her face that made her feel distant, as if she wasn't quite in the room with us. Perhaps she'd seen Finn too. Raven looked around the room, her eyes on mine, "Where's Jasper?"

Octavia twisted her body to look at Raven, her eyes wide, "Shit. He went in the stone hut and I never saw him come out, we can't leave him there." She looked at me, "Whatever's happening out there is dangerous. We can't wait till the storm passes."

 

I nodded, Bellamy coming to stand by Raven, his arms folded, "I'll go get him-"

"Me too." I stated, patching Octavia's head with dressing tape.

Octavia stood up with me, "I'll come, I have my sword and you know I'm the best fighter if things get nasty."

Bellamy didn't argue, slightly surprising for us all, "Good. Me and Clarke will take a knife, we'll leave the guns behind."

 

Bellamy turned to face the door, myself and Octavia waiting behind him, Raven told Bellamy, "Be careful." He nodded as we all stepped out into the fog.

 

The door closed behind us with a bang and seeing anything out here was more or less impossible; thick red fog hid everything that was more than a couple metres away. Octavia grabbed my hand, and looked at Bellamy, "Take Clarke's other hand, we have to stick together."

Bellamy nodded, taking my other hand in his. His hand was much rougher than Octavia's, his grip slightly stronger too as he lead us in the direction of the Stone Hut.

 

"Thank you," I said to him as we slowly waded through the fog, "I know you don't owe me anything, but defending me against Murphy-"

"Now's not the time, Clarke." He cut me off, not looking at me as he snapped.

I nodded to myself, "Okay. You're right, I'm sorry."

 

Bellamy suddenly stopped, my body crashing into his hard formation and Octavia slightly banging into me. His hand yanked from mine and dark eyes looked at mine, " _Sorry_? For what now?"

"I-"

"For leaving me all those years ago?" He growled, stepping towards me and I stepped back, "Or for turning your back on me in the ring? Maybe it's the fact you sided with my sister and went to the Ark for _weapons_? Which mistake are you apologising for _now_?"

"Back off, Bellamy!" Octavia hissed, stepping between me and him as he tried to advance towards me, a look in his eye that wasn't him.

Bellamy glared down at Octavia, "I'm not surprised you'd be on her side, I don't even recognise you anymore-"

"Don't you go there." Octavia warmed.

Bellamy ignored her, pointing in her face, "I think we should. How the hell did you kill four hundred of your people? You're not even sorry about it, and it's because of you that Miller is dead. How _could_ you side with a maniac like that? _My_ sister wouldn't do that. Who the hell are you?"

"Who am I?" She hissed, "I'm exactly what you said I am: a monster. But at least everything I ever did was to survive, can you really say the same?"

 

They both glared at each other, both of them seething. My own heart beat in my chest. I stood beside them, sidewards, facing them as I softly said, "We can argue later, right now, we need to find Jasper."

 

Both of them stood still, as if they couldn't hear me. Both of them stuck in their places, unable to move. Both of them wanting to tear chunks out of each other.

 

I put a hand on Octavia's shoulder, squeezing it slightly, her eyes pulled away from Bellamy's, she took a step back, shaking her head. She raked a hand through her hair before stepping round Bellamy, her body cutting through the mist as walked towards the stone hut. I rested a hand on Bellamy's shoulder, "Bellamy, we need to find Jasper." He glared at me, shaking me off of him before he angrily turned away from me, storming after Octavia. I hurried along behind them.

 

* * *

 

**_ Jasper _ **

 

The wind howls around the stone hut, the mist swirling outside the windows, preventing me from seeing through it. The clock, the clock I can’t see, bongs every minute. Loud. It echoes through the hut, bouncing off the walls. My body huddles between two benches, low to the ground and fingers in my ears, tears roll down my face.

 

Please, make it stop.

 

Maya flashes before my eyes, her body covered in burnt flesh from radiation, she’s there and then she’s gone. She’s there and then she’s gone. She’s there and then, she disappears through the cracks in the stone floor, replaced by Skye. Her skin pale and blood pouring out of her body, staining the floor and hitting my boots. Her eyes are empty. She’s dead. My chest is caving in, the feel of jolts of electricity pumping through by body. My throat is tight and my fingers wrap round the non-existent collar, trying to tear it off of my neck.

 

Please, make it stop.

 

Skye too disappears, Monty laid on the ground in front of me instead. The Monty I knew, not the one from the tapes. He looks up at me, his eyes gone too.

 

“How could you do it?” I sob, “Leave me here like this? How could you?” I cry.

 

Monty’s lips move, despite his body being lifeless, “You almost did it to me...”

 

The barrel of a gun presses to my forehead and I swallow. My finger over the trigger, my eyes squeezed shut.

 

How can I be mad at Monty? He had a chance for happiness without the hell of life. He found another way and I wish I could too.

 

I hate this. Everyone I love dies. I’m starting to think that life is a punishment rather than a gift. After all, I’ve never been brave or a fighter. I even betrayed Octavia, my only friend. Living is cruel.

 

My eyes squeeze shut. My finger on the trigger.

 

Bang.

 

“Jasper?” A voice yells. And I know I’m in hell. “Jasper?” She runs over and puts her hands on my shoulders, my eyes open as Clarke’s scan over me, Satan herself is here to welcome me back to Hell. My hands fall by my sides, no pistol in sight. I wipe away the tears as Bellamy looks at me from behind Clarke’s shoulders. Octavia walks over to me too.

 

“Jasper,” Clarke begins, “You need to come with us, okay? You’ll be safe with us.”

I nod, Octavia holds out a hand towards it and I let her pull me up from the dry ground, no corpses in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s late, I’ve been busy doing stuff
> 
> Also, Here are some UK helplines if you ever feel like Jasper does:
> 
> https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/helplines-listening-services/
> 
> https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/


	8. Alien

** Bellamy **

 

Fire crackled as we waited out the storm, Clarke's voice drifting down to us from upstairs as she spoke to Madi with the wrist watches. The rest of us sat uneasy, Murphy and Emori on the sofa, Jasper and Ej sat at either side of the front door, Jasper with his head down low, knees up, still trying to cope with the loss of Monty. Myself and Raven sit opposite each other, around the kitchen island.

 

"Are you okay?" I ask her, her eyes glued to the wooden countertop, staring into the space between us.

She looked up at me, her brown eyes shaken, "I-I-" She looked back down, swallowing, "I'll be okay."

I reached a hand towards hers, intertwining my fingers with hers, mine still cold from the rain, hers warm, "You can talk to me, Raven. I'm here."

She smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes, "I know. It's just a lot, being here."

I nodded, "Yeah." Thunder rumbled above us, it was getting quieter now, "I think the storms letting up."

She sighed, "It's been nearly six hours since it started."

 

Silence. Everything fell silent. Jasper raised his head from hands, rubbing his eyes as minutes passed without the 'dong' of the clock. Thunder stopped rumbling and the pitter patter of the rain stopped bouncing off of the roof of the hut. Clarke's footsteps walked down the stairs, Octavia's close behind, as Clarke rested her hand on the doorknob, hesitating before pushing it down.

 

The door opened.

 

The sound of birds tweeting and crickets rubbing legs glided across the cliffs. I took Raven's hand in mine as we followed Clarke and Octavia outside, droplets of rain catching our hair as they slid from the thatched roofs. Above us, the suns had separated but hung low in the sky, the sky a pale pink with blue streaks running through it and golden clouds, the world seeming peaceful once again. The water gently rocked into the cliff edge, and the blood from Murphy's wound had washed away from the wooden bridge. All elements of the storm seemed to slip away, as if it never happened. The heavy air had lifted and crisp breezes waved over us, refreshing after the stiff heat.

 

The familiar question presented itself: " _What now_?"

 

I shrugged, "There's only a couple hours of daylight left, we either stay here and wait for someone to come home or we head back to our cave on the beach."

 

Octavia sighed, sitting down on the bridge, legs crossed as she faced us, Clarke still standing in front of me and Raven. The others still remained inside, waiting for another decision to be made. This place already seemed harder than last time, the fear of not wanting to make the same mistakes heavily resting on our shoulders.

 

Murphy crept up behind me, stepping around me and Raven as he sighed, "I'm gonna go take a walk. I can't take another minute in there-"

"I'll come with you." I stated, my hand dropping Raven's as I stepped behind Murphy.

Murphy shrugged, walking off the bridge, "Whatever the hell you want."

 

I did what he said, following him as he walked through the iron gate, following him through thick forest, stepping over fallen logs and through mud puddles. Walking the perimeter of the hut sanctuary. He didn’t look back at me, just kept walking forward, hands in his pockets.

 

“John,” I said to him, “We need to talk.”

Murphy stopped in his tracks, sighing heavily before he spun around to face me. His blue eyes reflected a look I’d grown accustomed to over the past six years: guilt. He looked down at his muddy boots, “I shouldn’t have tried to kill you.”

The corners of my mouth twitched, smirking, an uncontrollable laugh starting erupt from my lips. Murphy’s own lips twitched, he looked up at me, starting to chuckle himself, his shoulders vibrating, he repeated his sentence, this time laughing a little, “I shouldn’t have tried to kill you.”

I shook my head, still laughing slightly, “No, you shouldn’t have.” I shrugged, “But, it’s not the _first_ time.”

 

Murphy raked a hand through his hair, “I don’t know what happened, I heard the bell ring and then I just saw - I saw _red_. Then my shoulder hurt and Raven pointed a gun at me. I fucking deserved it, I would’ve _killed_ you.”

I nodded, my own anger at both Clarke and Octavia still burned into my brain, “I know.” I wondered if I would’ve killed them, my sister and my friend. I thought about it, when Octavia stood between me, my hand itched to shove her, beat her. Even when Clarke touched my shoulder, it took all my effort not to send her flying. Something on this planet was wrong. Something sending us crazy.

 

Murphy charged into me, sending me flying into a pile of mud. My heart beat quickly, fearful he _would_ kill me now. Before I could react, leaves flung into the air from where I was standing. Murphy rolled off of me and my eyes saw the huge branch, which had plunged to the ground, in the place I was standing. Murphy quickly got to his feet and so did I, both of us looking to the trees.

 

“What the hell was that?” I asked, breathless from the adrenaline.

My eyes spotted a figure in the trees, Murphy’s did the same, his hand already grasping a rock and launching it at the figure. The figure leaped from the trees, running away from the huts. Without thinking, I bolted after them, Murphy following. My fingers tapped on my wrist watch, selecting Clarke’s frequency, “Get everyone, get out here, we spotted someone.”

 

Murphy veered off, disappearing into the trees around us. I kept following the figure, seeing that their footsteps were human feet, realising the shape of their body resembled a person’s too. They were quicker though, I struggled to keep sight of them, my lungs aching as I followed the distant figure.

 

The figure screamed, charged into by my sister. Both of them rolling down the forest hillside. I had no idea where Octavia had come from and I didn’t care. Octavia crashed into a tree, Murphy reappeared in the corner of my eye, yelling, “I’ll get Octavia, you get them.”

 

I nodded, starting to catch up as they kept rolling. I couldn’t imagine the pain of the forest floor scraping their skin or the fear as I saw the cliff edge approaching. Shit! I willed my legs to go faster. Hoping I could catch them.

 

My heart stopped.

 

Their body rolled off of the cliff edge.

 

I kept running, scared to reach the edge.

 

My boots skidded as they came to a stop. Holding my breath, I peered over the edge of the cliff.

 

Relief.

 

Hands grabbed at rocks, legs dangling towards the calm waters below. Glowing blue eyes looked up at me, blue hair blowing out in the breeze. A girl. She looked up at me, scared. I crouched down, holding a hand out towards, “I’ll help you up.”

She stared at my hand. Unsure. Scared.

The others had appeared behind me, forming a semi circle around me and the girl. I held my hand out again towards her. Her eyes looked down at the ocean, deciding.

 

She sighed.

 

Her warm hand reached for mine, I put my other hand on top of it. Murphy grabbed her other hand and both of us pulled her up.

 

Once on solid ground, the girl got to her feet, crouching slightly, almost like an animal. Murphy rejoined the semi-circle but I remained in the centre of it, an arm away from the girl.

 

It felt like the grounders all over again.

 

I noticed dark blue liquid coming from grazes on her arms and cheeks. Blood?

 

I rested a hand on my chest, “Bellamy.”

The girl stared at me, panting angrily as she scanned all of us. I had no idea if she spoke English or not, but she’s the only sign of life we’ve found. She’s hope. She’s proof of survival.

 

Her body was covered in a grey cotton, knee length dress, fraying at the bottom, and her feet were bare. Her face had three vertical lines on her forehead and three horizontal ones on each of her cheeks, all the sane colour as her skin. They were like scars or markings, slightly raised from her skin. She looked human but equally not.

 

Seeing her before us, really felt like Earth again. A language barrier between us. She saw us as the invaders, the enemy. Now, we had to be careful.

 

I had no idea if she would understand, but I placed my hand on my chest again, “Bellamy.”

One by one, the others copied me, going clockwise.

“Octavia.”

“Clarke.”

“Raven.”

“Murphy.”

“Emori.”

“Jasper.”

“Ej.”

 

She watched each of us introduce ourselves, watching us carefully. I placed my hand on my chest for the third time, “Bellamy.” I then slowly raised my finger, pointing it towards the girl.

 

She looked down at the ground, probably a million thoughts in her mind. She hesitated before finally placing a hand on her chest, “Ardella.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s late because exams and life haha
> 
> Also, Ardella would look like Blink/Clarice from The Gifted, I guess. But with blue eyes instead of green and blue hair instead of purple. I think her skin markings look similar to Ontari’s.


	9. Peachy

** Raven **

 

A thousand stars light the sky above, still decorated with red, pink and orange streaks across the galaxy. Stars reflect in the shimmery aqua waters surrounding the hut sanctuary, colourful fireflies float by, reminiscent of the Glowing Forest, except all of the vibrant flowers have shielded themselves off for the night. Fingers swirl in the warm water, soothing from the mental headache of today. Mists still lingers in my brain, the vision of John laying under the barrel of my gun burned in my brain. Past traumas I thought I dealt with, built a brace for, seemed reignited, the thirst for vengeance channeling through my fingertips.

 

It's not who I am.

 

"Hey," He says, sitting down on the bridge beside me, blue eyes twinkling in the starlight. Blood stained his bandage, my own guilt swarming my head. Right leg curled under me, left leg laid out in front of me, my body diagonal to the water, back to the hut, front towards John.

John sat with his legs to his chest, leaning back on his palms, his eyes looked at mine as he softly said, "I-I just wanted to thank you-"

" _Thank_ me?" I questioned, unsure of what he was talking about. I held a _gun_ to his head, I wanted to pull the trigger and yet he's _thanking_ _me_?

John nodded, "Yeah if it wasn't for you, I would've killed your boyfriend. _You_ saved him and me... from myself."

I shook my head, "I _shot_ you." I couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth, he's acting as if I was a hero and the truth is far from it. My eyes stare down at the leather brace around my leg, the weight of it unbearable today. Even after six years of training, even though I barely even notice my leg anymore and even though I was past blaming someone, when the storm hit, all I could think of was eliminating the cause: John. And now he thinks I'm a hero.

 

John nodded, his own head clouded, "I know you shot me." He laughed, "It still hurts like a bitch." He shrugged, back to a softer tone, "But, you had to. And you shouldn't feel guilty for it." John sighed, getting to his feet, looking down at me, "Bellamy doesn't know what to do with Ardella. They're having a weird staring contest in the kitchen. Emori got the double bed, so I'm gonna go join her, come in soon, yeah?"

I nodded, distant as he disappeared inside.

 

Bellamy. I rake my hand through my hair as it blows through the slight night breeze. Bellamy, he's only about a metre or two behind me, but yet he feels a million miles away...

 

* * *

 

_ Flashback: The Ark - Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Days After Praimfaya _

_It was strange, walking down these corridors. It was even stranger to think that this is where The Hundred started, a hundred under eighteen teens, locked in cells for crimes as petty as smoking herbs to going for a walk. Finn. It was strange, after his death, it was hard at first but with the distraction of War, the City of Light and the end of the world - I almost forgot about him. But now, as I walk the empty halls, carrying a bowl of Algae soup, I see him. I see him engrained into the walls of this place. I imagine him in his cell, playing it cool as always, probably enjoying being the Hero, or the Bad Boy. I imagine us. I wonder how proud he'd be of me, finally being a Pilot. Finally living the dream._

_I reach the cell. My hand rests on the door handle, usually I just knock and leave the soup on the floor for him, but it's been a year. He needs to start living._

_I push open the door, taking in the cell. It still amazes me, her drawings. The forest, the moon, the sky... it was beautiful. She dreamed of the ground, like us all. If only we knew what horrors awaited us, or maybe if we knew, we'd do things differently._

_He sits at the back of the cell, one leg on the bench, one dangling over the side. His temple rests against the wall, his eyes staring into space, the moonlight dripping down his face. He doesn't even look at me, he just mumbles, "Thanks, Leave it by the door."_

_I don't listen. Not today. I stay standing there for a second, wondering what to say. I breathe in before firmly stating, "No."_

_Bellamy turns his head to look at me, his forehead creased and his hair and beard starting to grow out._

_I repeated myself, "No. If you want to eat, you need to eat_ with _us."_

_Bellamy looked at me, staring almost blankly. A silence around us as he continued to look at me, unsure of what to say._

_My tone remained firm, "Bellamy, you can't stay here anymore. It's been a year."_

_Bellamy put on a fake smile, almost playing dumb, "What? I don't just sit in here all day-"_

_"You spend half of it by the radio and the other half in here. Fair enough you sleep in your own room and at least you're showering, but still. You should eat with us."_

_Bellamy sighed, scratching his stubble, before standing up and walking over to me, "Fine. I'll eat with you."_

_I nodded, a little surprised by his cooperation, "Good."_

_Bellamy put his hands around the bowl, and I foolishly let him take it as he stood in front of me, eating his algae. "See, yummy." He sarcastically said._

_I rolled my eyes, "You know that's not what I meant." His eyes kept focused on his bowl, eating his algae. I continued, "You can't keep staying in here, Bellamy. Clarke's gone."_

_Bellamy froze, his spoon froze in his bowl, about to scrape some algae. He breathed in, his tone a little sharp, "What I do with my time is my business." He shrugged, "Monty and Harper have their farming," his eyes looked at mine, his tone a little annoyed, "you and Emori have your engineering, Murphy does whatever the hell he wants and Jasper stays in his room, and I monitor the radio. Why is that a problem?"_

_I folded my arms, "Bellamy, what is it you've been telling Jasper? About letting go and finding happiness again? You deserve that too."_

_Bellamy lied, "I'm perfectly peachy, Raven. You don't have to worry about me-"_

_"Yes. Yes I do." I cut him off, "And you should worry about yourself too. Jasper is improving, and besides, he has Monty. He doesn't_ need _you."_

_Bellamy remained silent, his bowl now empty._

_I put a hand on his arm, "Octavia is safe in the bunker. And, and Clarke is gone, Bellamy. You don't_ need _ her."_

_Bellamy sighed, "I-I know." He looked up at me, "I know she's fucking gone, Raven." His hands clutched the bowl, "I-I just don't know who I am, anymore. I feel like I'm losing myself again, like when she left before. Except this time, she's not coming back. What the hell am I meant to do? What now? Without her, I-I just don't know who I am."_

_I looked into his lost brown eyes, seeing his grief, remembering his pain the last time she disappeared. This time it's even worse, because he doesn't have his sister to focus on either. And with Jasper making progress, Bellamy has no one to care for. So it's my turn to care for him. My hands gently rested over his, "Bellamy, you're a caring human being, who puts everyone above themselves. I thought you were a selfish arsehole when I first saw you, I mean you did try to kill me. But you were just trying to protect those you love and that's who you are. You lead with your heart. But now, now you need to take care of yourself, it's okay to be selfish, Bellamy."_

_Bellamy looked up at me, his eyes tearing up, "I've had to take care of everyone else for so long I-" his voice cracked, the bowl fell from his grip as I took him in my arms. I held his tired body with mine, I would help him. I promised him:_ Always _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this Rellamy flashback, I guess I’ve kinda made Raven like the ‘therapist’ of the group, especially with those on the Ark. There are a few more flashbacks to come as I feel there weren’t very many on the show (idk about Season 6), so I hope you like them :-)
> 
> Also, congrats to Bob and Eliza getting married! I guess the rumours about her being with the actor who plays McCreary were false lol. I’m happy for them <3


	10. Her

** Bellamy **

 

She sits, curled in a ball at the back of the temple, wind lightly blowing through her blue hair as she rests her temple against the stone wall, a blanket over her body. I sit with the wooden door against my back, a million thoughts in my head. The others sleep, I keep watch on the only sign of human life - if you can call her that. Regardless of her species, she's hope. If only we could break the language barrier.

 

I sigh. Getting to my feet and sitting on the floor beside her, facing the window, she doesn't look at me. I know how to make people talk, but I can't go down that path - not again. I can't do that to another person, it's not worth it. Her cuts are cleaned from her blue blood, her eyes still glowing slightly, she's beautiful.

 

"Ardella?" I ask, her intense eyes look at mine, her face unreadable as she stares at me. I scratch my head, unsure of my next move, so instead I point to the sky, her eyes watching my lips as I say, "Home." She gives no response. Nothing. I point to her and then gesture round the temple, "Ardella's home?"

 

She just stares. Staring inside of me, holding my gaze with hers until she lets it fall, turning back to the sky. A sky filled with a billion stars, and a hundred years away is our destroyed planet. I wonder what the outcome of this planet will be, we want to change but can we?

 

Maybe. I hope so.

 

I watch Ardella. What does she think? Does she already know that we've done terrible things? Has she had to do them too? Can she see the darkness in our eyes and the blood stains on our hands? Does she see our sharp knives and killer instinct? Or is she even more deadly than us?

 

She doesn't look it. Fear. Her eyes filled with fear as we chased through the woods. A deer being chased by hungry wolves. Now she sits in our claimed den, but she's not afraid now as she looks out at the sky. Everything's quiet around us, nothing but the gentle waves from the lake surrounding the huts and the nearby sea. Everything is calm, almost as if the storm didn't happen.

 

Red. My sister and Clarke either side of me. I could've killed them both. My head told me too. Both of them. The rage inside me bubbled. I had never felt so angry in my life. Clarke's hand on my shoulder sent ripples through my body, part of me wanted to shove her to the ground and make her pay for all the pain she's caused me. The other part wanted to pull her close and not let go. It begged for her to hold me; I thought she was dead. But she's not. Now she sleeps alone, several metres from me in a different hut, but on the same planet. Both my head and heart are confused and I am unsure of what I feel. But now is not the time for feeling, we have bigger things to think about.

 

The door behind me knocks and Raven pushes it open, standing in the door way, "You coming back to the hut?"

I shake my head, "No, I'm on watch duty."

Raven nods, shutting the door behind her before sitting down next to me, "I'll join you then. Besides, Emori and Murphy have already taken the bed, what's the difference between a wooden floor and a stone one anyway?"

It's almost as if Ardella isn't here, like she's a statue, she doesn't look at us. I look at Raven, "You don't have to stay with me, you should be with the others."

Raven shrugs, "That's sweet of you, but I'd rather be with my boyfriend."

 

Boyfriend?

 

We've never made it official. Just two people, who were filling the void. She was there when I needed her the most, she built me back up in all of Clarke's absences. She put me back together when I was riddled with grief. She's always been the logical one, always so brainy. The starlight streams on her swirling brown eyes, her eyes bearing their soul for me to see. The silence stretches and I know she's waiting for my response.

 

"Boyfriend?" I gently repeat.

Raven shrugs, looking away from me, allowing her vulnerability to show slightly, "Yeah, Murphy mentioned it yesterday."

My forehead creased, "Murphy? What did he say?"

Raven stared out at the sky, a slight smile on her lips, "He said: 'You're boyfriend's a dick' and I guess I liked the sound of it."

I put my hand on hers, her brown eyes looking at me, "I'd love to be your boyfriend, Raven." I kissed her hand, she returned it with a kiss on my lips. "I love you, Reyes."

 

She smiled, as our bodies parted, her words deeper than mine, "I love you too." There was something more sincere about her words than mine, and it hit me that I have never said those words and meant it. Aside from to Octavia. I liked Gina, but it wasn’t love. And I wondered: Did I mean it now?  Clarke's ghost had been pushed to the back of my mind but now she's no longer a ghost. I'd grieved and grieved and as the brown eyes watch mine, did I truly mean it? I wanted to mean it. I think I did mean it. How could I not? Raven was amazing, she was intelligent, caring and funny. I loved her sarcasm, I loved how she always keeps her cool in a crisis, I love her smile and I love her laugh. I love how she's grumpy in a morning and I love the way her hand fits in mine. I love her.

 

I love her.

 

I would do anything for her. Always. Yet why does my brain still think of Clarke's sad eyes when I snapped at her in the storm?

 

Raven's hand grabbed mine, fingers interlocking, as if she was pulling me back down to the ground with her. She rested her head on my shoulder, following Ardella's gaze out to the stars. My heart beat a little faster in my chest, feeling Raven's breath on my neck, my stubble resting on her head. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close and pushing Clarke away. In this moment, I wanted to be with her. All I wanted was her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter I struggled with a lot haha, so if it’s shit, I’m sorry.
> 
> Also, it’s been a long time since I updated this story. Life has changed, I’ve been watching Love Island and going out more, so I’ve not been inspired to write cos I’ve been enjoying real life, even started dating someone haha. 
> 
> So I’m just gonna post when I feel like it, thanks for reading anyways :-)
> 
> SPOILER: Also, this isn’t a bellarke fanfic, so Clarktavia is still canon.


	11. Join

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the age to Mature, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I actually liked writing this one and I’m proud of it

 

** Murphy **

 

Wooden bowls wobble as I try to quietly carry a tray up the wooden stairs, delivering a bowl of some pink berries with purple seeds. I tasted one myself, they were sweet and juicy, Emori would like them. The others still slept, apart from Octavia, she decided to go for a swim in the pond surrounding the huts.

 

Emori rubbed her eyes as she rolled over to face me, a smile on her lips, "Wow, breakfast in bed? What _did_ I do to deserve you?"

My cheeks blushed as I rested the tray on the double bed, sitting on it next to her, dressed in just my boxers. Emori sat herself up, her bump starting to show as she grabbed one of the berries, placing it on her tongue and closing her eyes to take in the taste. "Mmmmm." She hummed in pleasure at the taste, her brown eyes reopening as she swallowed, "Its delicious!"

I shrugged, grabbing one between my fingertips, "Only the best for you two." I held it out for her lips, feeling their soft touch as she bit the berry from me, juice dripping down my fingers. Her eyes watched mine as I licked the juice from them before seductively eating a berry of my own. Emori had a flirty look in her eye as she said, "I think there's something sweeter than the berries though."

I raised an eyebrow, looking at her hair falling over her chest, "Oh yeah?"

She nodded, leaning closer to me, "Definitely." Her lips pressed on mine, her feet kicking the bowl off of the bed as she pulled herself closer to me. I put my hands on her hips, pushing her back down on the bed, propping myself up on my forearms, either side of her head, as I kissed her collar bone up to her neck, feeling her breathing shift. I had missed mornings like this.

 

* * *

 

_ Flashback: The Ark - Five Hundred and Forty-Seven Days after Praimfaya _

_Lights flicked on from the living area, Emori returning home, laughing. A sound I hadn't heard in months, of course, she wasn't alone. I stepped past the divider, separating our bedroom from the living quarters. The black sofa sat on my right, the dining table with four chairs around it in the middle, opposite the door._

_Emori's smile dropped as she saw me standing there, hands in my pockets, darkness behind me, light above her. She stepped inside, Raven close behind, followed by the rest of them. Emori pointed to the L-shaped sofa, "Take a seat, we'll have to play on the coffee table."_

_They all nodded, Bellamy sitting down closest to me, followed by Raven, Jasper, Monty and Harper on the end. Emori grabbed a seat, placing it opposite Raven. She then twirled around, grabbing glasses out of our cupboards on my right._

_I felt invisible._

_The glass chinked as she placed them on our coffee table, Monty pouring his moonshine into them. Emori finally looked at me, her tone slightly hostile, "You joining us?"_

_I shrugged, slightly annoyed, "Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice."_

_Emori sighed heavily, pissed off at me again, "Do you want a glass or not?"_

_I shook my head, "No. I'll pass."_

_Emori nodded, her biting her lip slightly, fists slightly balled, "Okay. Are you joining us for cards?"_

_I looked down at my shoes, "Not sure_ your _new_ friends _want me there."_

_Emori glared at me, "Seriously?"_

_Fuck. I did it again._

_I threw my hands up, my tone monotone, "No, no. You're right, I'm being an asshole. I'll just go to bed, sorry-"_

_"No." Emori cut me off, glaring at me, "No, John. You have something to say, so fucking say it because I am tired of this shit."_

_"You really want to do this now?" My tone remaining the same, tired and bitter, I looked towards the others watching us, "Right when all your friends are round?"_

_Emori nodded, shrugging, "Sure. Maybe they can deal with you-"_

_"_ Deal _with me? You'd have to actually be here for that."_

_Emori angrily gestured towards me, "And there it is."_

_I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. I hated fighting with her, and all we seem to do is fight._

_I turned on my heel, "I'm going to bed-"_

_"No." Emori shouted, freezing me in my place as she marched towards me, "You have a problem, so fucking speak to me. Yell at me if you have to. Just stop with the goddamn sulking and silence."_

_I turned back around, my anger bubbling away at me, "You already know my problem. I'm sorry that I don't fit in with them, and I'm sorry I don't want to drink and play cards every night. I am so fucking sorry that I am not as interesting as them or as fun to be around."_

_Emori nodded, still fuming, sarcastic as she said, "Good. Get it all out." She pointed her finger on my chest, "Play the victim, blame_ them _for_ you _being miserable. That's all you do, you lie in this pit and you blame everyone else. You isolate yourself from them," she pointed towards our audience, "and," she paused, pointing towards herself, "me." She threw her hands up in the air, "And I can't do it anymore, John. I get that they did some shitty things to you, I get that they hurt you. But we both know, that's not the problem. You say that they never forgave you, that's the problem, yeah? But it's_ you _. You need to move on, you need to forgive_ yourself _. If not for you, then for us. Because I can't keep watching you destroy yourself."_

_I shook my head, adrenaline keeping me from admitting to her words. Feeling threatened, I changed my hurt into anger, "You want to be with someone strong, yeah? A hero? Well, why don't you go fuck Bellamy, as if you haven't already-"_

_Pain. The sound of her palm slapping my cheek._

_Emori's eyes has tears in them. I swear I could see her heart breaking in her chest. "Go float yourself."_

_The door slammed shut behind her. The others staring at me. I stared at the door, hating myself. My eyes flickered yo their faces, "You should leave. Now."_

_They all stood up, Monty, Harper and Jasper leaving immediately but Raven hesitated by the door and Bellamy stood in front of me. "You know she loves you." He levelheadedly said, "And you know we see you as one of us. Family."_

_I raised my hand, "Just get out."_

_Raven looked towards Bellamy, "C'mon, just give him space."_

 

* * *

 

Emori giggled, catching her breath as we both laid under the sheets, our fingers intertwined, some berry juice squished into the covers and on our bodies. "That was amazing," I panted, looking into her eyes, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, we make the best team."

Emori nodded, "Uh, huh. I just hope we get our own space soon."

I kissed her knuckles, "Of course, the new world is ripe for the taking. We can live like royalty."

Emori placed her free hand over her stomach, "I hope so."

 

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Bellamy said, standing at the top of the stairs and quickly shielding his eyes as me and Emori fought over the duvet to cover our essentials.

My cheeks blushed a little, regardless I joked, "Course not, you come to join us?"

Bellamy unshielded his eyes, a little uncomfortable, "Uh, no, I think I'll pass." He scratched his head, "I just came to see if you were up-"

"Oh, he was up alright." Emori smirked.

Bellamy blushed, skipping over Emori's comment, "Anyway, I just thought I'd tell you to pack, Ardella is taking us somewhere."


	12. Frozen

The trees swayed in the wind, leaves a shade of green brighter than on Earth, yet not too different that the group could not be tricked into thinking that this could be their planet. All of them were quiet, lost in their heads, yesterday still playing on their minds. Bellamy tried to push his feelings out, he had a job to do, keeping a close eye on Ardella as she walked through the woods, she still said nothing. Octavia was the one leading through the woods, Clarke closely behind. He didn't understand how Clarke could be so forgiving of his sister's actions. But Clarke had always been impossible to him, he never did understand the way she worked, even if all he wanted was to be close to her.

 

Raven kept back of the group, her eyes watching Murphy and Emori smiling as they walked through the woods, they were the only two making a sound. Raven's stomach swirled: guilt. She almost killed him yesterday and the part of herself that she thought she buried and dealt with, felt more alive than ever. Hate. She knew that Murphy never meant to shoot her, she knew that he had tortured himself enough over the years that she didn't need to punish him, he was good at doing that to himself.

 

Jasper could see Raven watching Emori and Murphy closely, he could sense her guilt. Raven always has had a big heart, trying to help her friends always. She was a rock up in space, without her, Jasper was sure everything and everyone would have fell apart. He wished she could see how brilliant she is. She's not like the rest of them. She's good.

 

The forest felt like it was never ending, Octavia becoming impatient; they should've stayed at the huts, wait for someone to come home - the place was clearly not abandoned, someone would come back eventually. But no, Bellamy insisted they leave, find a city. But what if one didn't exist? What if they all lived in huts on this planet? Ardella was useless, still refusing to say a word. Octavia was beginning to see Bellamy's point of view back on Earth when he strung up the woman she loved and tortured her for an answer. Octavia knew she'd done a lot of things, her moral compass melted away with the rest of her, but perhaps this planet was a fresh start and she would not become her brother, despite the anger bubbling inside her.

 

Ardella was the only sign of life, aside from the insects running to the sea. The forest felt quiet too, not like when they arrived Earth, they could feel the grounders then, watching their every move. But not here. It was too quiet, what had gone on here? Why was Ardella the only one? What had her glowing eyes seen? What secrets could she tell?

 

Ej almost fell right into Ardella as she stopped suddenly, eyes fixed on something in front of her. Bellamy was the first to notice, whistling the others to a stop, his eyes desperately trying to see what Ardella could see. She froze, still as a statue, eyes glued to something invisible. Her hands were still tied, rope blowing slightly in the breeze. Octavia drew her sword, Clarke and Raven a pistol, Murphy his gun. All of them stood still, eyes searching the woods. Bellamy stepped towards Ardella, "What is it?" He whispered, hoping she could understand.

 

Nothing. Of course her pink lips did not move. They shut tightly, her eyes focused.

 

Murphy tilted his gun, lifting his eye from the crosshairs, "What are we looking at exactly?" His voice in his usual tone, cutting through the quiet of the forest.

"Shut up, Murphy." Bellamy hushed, panic rising as the stillness prolonged, something was off. The air felt tighter. The two suns still shon, frozen in the clouds, orange and yellow. The wind seemed to stop. Nothing was moving. The air felt tighter. Octavia's hand tightened on her sword, her heart beating in her ears. Sweat dripped off of Clarke's brow, her eyes searching.

 

A sharp breath inhaled through Ardella's lungs. She turned to run, slipping through Bellamy's fingers. Jasper threw himself at her, leaves exploding around them. His fingers felt her flesh, his arms wrapped around her warm body. She tried to wrestle free, sitting up, but Jasper's body held her down, himself struggling to sit up, the air knocked from his lungs. Bellamy crouched before Ardella, his eyes on hers, "We want to help. What are you running fr-"

 

"Bellamy!" His sister yelled, even after all she's done, he could not ignore his instinct to rescue her without thinking.

 

Fear.

 

Their eyes stared at it. A singular silver disk, like a frisbee. It appeared from nowhere and now it blocked the suns in the sky.

 

All of their foreheads creased, all except one.

 

Ardella bolted, shoving Jasper off of her and barging Bellamy into the dirt. Murphy darted in front of her, gun at her chest, "Where do you think you're going?"

Pure fear in her eyes, "Curre! Curre!" She yelled.

 

Octavia yelled again, "Bellamy!"

Bellamy turned his gaze from Murphy and Ardella back to the sky, more disks appeared.

 

"Curre! Curre!" Ardella yelled, " _RUN_!"

 

A loud siren blared, hands flying to their ears.

 

Murphy's gun lowered in shock, Ardella took off.

 

The disks opened, lasers aimed at their heads.

 

"Run!" Bellamy yelled.

 

Octavia turned, grabbing Clarke's hand as she ran as fast as she could. Bellamy pulled Jasper up, lightly pushing him forward into his sprint, EJ along side him. Murphy ran with Emori, Raven close behind and Bellamy stayed at the back. He could feel the dots on him. They all could.

 

Ardella's hair blew out, they all tried to follow. Unsure of what they were running from. Or to.

 

“What are those things?” Murphy yelled, feeling himself become breathless, they could not keep running forever.

“I don’t know, but she’s scared.” Bellamy responded, sneaking a glance back, they were getting closer.

“Why haven’t they attacked yet?” Octavia demanded, “They could kill us, why not now?”

 

Ardella stopped suddenly, the others skidding to a stop behind her. Ardella stood with her back to the disks, nowhere to run.

 

Murphy turned to stand in front of Emori, hand shielding his eyes as he stared at the green lights aimed at them. Bellamy stood beside Ardella, “Help us.” He half-begged.

Octavia and Clarke stood in front of Ardella and Bellamy, then too staring at the disks in the sky. Raven, Jasper and Ej stood next to them. All of them frozen again.

 

Ardella stared at the ground, “Pugna est super me.” She turned around, stepping through Clarke and Octavia. She stared at the silver disks before collapsing on her knees, hands on her head. All lights aimed at her. She shut her eyes.

 

“Stop!” Bellamy yelled, “Stop!” He yelled again, the others froze. He grabbed his gun, standing by Ardella’s side as he lined a shot on one of the disks, “Stop! Whatever you are, stop!”

“Bellamy, no.” Octavia hissed at her foolish brother, he had grown reckless.

 

Ardella breathed in. One of the machines clicked.

 

Boom!

 

Leaves and soil flew into the air, bodies with it. Trees burned. Flames surrounding them. Smoke in their lungs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a really long time since I’ve posted, I was waiting to watch the new series but I’ve been busy at uni and with life.
> 
> Can’t promise regular posts but hey!
> 
> Also I think I’m gonna continue writing in third person, I started a new story and third person makes things easier kind of


	13. Here

White noise rang in the air as the orange glow from the first of the two suns woke Clarke. Her eyes blinked open, seeing the bright white ceiling above her. Her head felt heavy, but her body felt like it was floating as it laid on a mattress, which moulded to her body. Clarke slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching, oddly calm. Her feet touched the warm white marble floor, her body facing a huge infinity window on the back wall. The view was breathtaking, mountains and the orange sun sat in the far distance, but much closer was the tops of the forest and poking out of the trees were glass roofs of white bricked buildings. Everything seemed so clean, so modern. Nothing like Clarke had seen, so used to bunkers, huts and the Ark. Clarke couldn't help herself, her hand rested on the glass, her eyes unable to come away from the view, everything seemed brighter, more saturated than Earth and the suns coated everything in a warm glow.

 

"It's nice to see you're awake." A clear voice stated, startling Clarke as she quickly turned her back on the view, only to be greeted by a man like her. His eyes didn't glow, they were a chocolate brown, his skin coffee coloured and his black hair in a small Afro on his head. He dressed in an outfit so different to the armour on Earth, a long tail black coat with gold seams and buttons, a dark red shirt and black trousers, his shoes looked a black suede with a golden trim and a slight heel. On his face his eyelids were painted gold, his lips black and his cheeks covered in what Clarke assumed to be tiny diamonds, even his nails were golden. Everything about him was so different to Earth. She could tell he was young though, around her age. His skin was smooth, flawless. His voice soft and warm. Everything about him seemed so inviting and that scared her.

 

"Don't be afraid," he soothed, keeping his distance as he stood by a glass door at the otherside of the room. Clarke's eyes only now could take in the room, not that there was much to take in; it was mostly empty aside from the bed on Clarke's right and a white chest of drawers opposite, on Clarke's left. The room was small, L shaped as an ensuite cut into the back right corner of it. Only now it dawned on Clarke that she had no idea where she was or how she got here. The last thing she remembered was the bright green lights and then the smoke in her lungs. Where the hell was she? Where was everyone else?

 

"I'm Elijah." The boy said, a hand on his chest as he did so, he held out his hand towards Clarke, "Who are you?"

Clarke remained silent, a fist balled, forehead creased as she tried to figure him out. Enemy or friend? Things needed to be different, she would hear him out first, "Clarke."

Elijah smiled, flashing his milky white teeth, "It's good to meet you, Clarke. We saw your drop ship land and picked up your mothership on our radar. We mean you no harm, Clarke. But we have questions, lots of them."

Clarke nodded, her voice firm, "So do I."

Elijah's lips twitched, his eyes still glinting, his expression marvelling at Clarke, "I bet you do. But first, I'll take you to your friends, you all must be hungry." He turned to the door, pulling it open and gesturing for Clarke to walk through, she didn't trust him but she wouldn't argue.

 

Clarke steppes through the door, walking out into a corridor with a glass bannister. Clarke noted two more rooms on either side of hers and when she looked across the balcony, she saw another five facing her as well as a floor above. Clarke rested her hands on the glass bannister, tilting her head up to the glass dome roof above her, shining down onto the ground floor. Clarke's eyes followed the stream of light to a long glass table directly below, at least ten chairs on either side and sat in them were her friends.

 

Octavia noticed Clarke first, her eyes meeting Clarke's. Octavia didn't trust these people or this place, but she would not strike first, even though her gut told her to. Besides, she could feel her brother glaring at her from the table, he did not trust her. In his mind, Octavia was still the greater enemy, even more than these strangers. But to him, that's what she had become: a stranger. She was dead to him, that's what he said.

 

Raven took Bellamy's right hand in hers, rubbing his thumb with hers, trying to soothe both his nerves and her own. Murphy copies Raven's hand movements on Emori, as they sat opposite, Murphy noticing Clarke standing there too. He raised his spare hand, encouraging her to come down. In his eyes, these people seemed like their only chance of survival, they had beds and showers, electricity and heating. They even told him they had hospitals for Emori, schools and farms too. He needed this place and he wouldn't let Clarke, Octavia or Bellamy fuck it up.

 

EJ noticed Murphy's hand raise and he turned in his seat, which was on Raven's left, to see Clarke standing there next to the strange man. Everything was so overwhelming to Ej, the forest, the insects, the wind, the feel of the sun.... he'd been counting down the days since he could see the world for himself. And now he's here, he's not sure what to make of it. He was excited to meet his dad's friends too, the heroes of his stories, but now he sits with them, he wonders how they'll act. Will Clarke cause another war? Or will they change, like his dad wanted?

 

A door opened opposite Clarke, and out came Jasper, followed by a woman. The woman had pale skin, dressed in a long, flowing pink dress with matching lips, eyelids, cheeks and nails. Her golden hair was pinned up in a bun and her blue eyes seemed warm like Elijah's. Jasper's eyes met Clarke's, his gut churned too. It was like when they were gassed and taken to the mountain, he prayed it wouldn't be the same; history seems to have a way of repeating itself. Different people, different year, different planet but same problem and the same outcome: death. He couldn't take losing anyone else.

 

"Allow me to walk you downstairs," Elijah softly said, gesturing to spiral stairs at either end of the corridor, the stairs repeated on Jasper's side too. Clarke nodded, following Elijah across the marble corridor and down the marble stairs. Clarke took her seat on Bellamy's right and Jasper sat opposite. All of them were quiet. Watching as Elijah sat at the head of the table, in between Clarke and Jasper.

 

He rubbed his hands together a smile on his lips, excited. Elijah had read all the history books about the end of Earth, the nuclear war and Eligius. After all, his ancestors were brought on one of the ships from Eligius, except their ship was full of scientists, researchers, doctors and the very rich, whereas this ship was clearly labelled 'Prisoners' - but that did not put him off. After all, the prisoners could just be their ancestors and unfortunately you can't choose family.

 

Trays of food, carried by people dressed in white, were laid before the group. Bacon and sausages, from animals Unknown, bowls of berries of all colours and bright red beans in sauce, and fried eggs all laid out before the group. Elijah gestured to the food, "Eat up. It's not quite the same as a Full English Breakfast, but it's close enough. Or try the berries, they are delicious! Each colour a different flavour, of course. The pink ones are really sweet, kind of like cotton candy, the red ones like chocolate, blue are a little salty I find, yellow taste creamy like eating custard and the green are sour to begin with but turn sweet. So dig in!" Elijah lifted a finger with a little wink, "And of course, we have tea!"

 

All of them shared a glance, unsure if this was safe. Clarke made the first move, grabbing a couple of everything whilst one of the workers filled her cup with a steaming dark brown liquid. Clarke lifted the bacon to her mouth, chewing slowly. She never tasted something so delicious, it wasn't like the food on Earth, she was used to spit roasts and space food.

 

"What animal is this?" Ej asked, tucking into his own mouthful of bacon. Ej was relieved to finally eat something other than algae.

Elijah smiled, "Well, it's from a Fera Sus Alba - a Wild White Pig, though not very wild anymore."

"White?" Ej asked, confused as his father had taught him pigs were pink.

Elijah nodded, "Yes. A lot of the wildlife here are similar to those on Earth, except they are larger or smaller, different colours or different behaviours. You'll find some predators are prey and some prey are predators. But don't worry too much, you're perfectly safe inside the city."

"And where are we exactly?" Clarke interrupted. City? How far on this planet had they been taken? They could only see woods for miles through their trekking, no signs of life. Yet here Elijah claims there's a whole city.

 

Elijah smiled again, "I know you're eager to explore, but we must eat first and then I'll show you. It's not like Earth, there's no sky scrapers or as huge a population, but we have motorbikes and electricity, houses with water and ovens. Currently we have around one point two million residents, and the population continues to grow everyday. In fact, we're thinking of expanding, starting a new city. Perhaps you could join us?"

Nobody replied.

Elijah nodded, "Of course you need time. But trust me, you'll like it here. I promise you that."

 

A promise nobody was sure he could keep. As inviting and friendly as Elijah seemed, the group still felt cautious. They knew Earth was dangerous, but they knew how to survive that. Here, wherever 'here' was, is a completely different ball game, and they would be fools to trust so quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unsure whether this is interesting or not, I’ve watched up to episode 8 of the new series, which is why I’ve started to write again.
> 
> Elijah is inspired by Cinna from the Hunger Games


	14. Fish

The sun felt even warmer as it touched the cheeks of the group, their eyes taking in the vastness of the place before them. They currently stood in the middle of a town square, the guest house behind him, a glass tower in front of them with two houses on either side and another building next to the guest house.

 

But the town square wasn't the thing that had taken the breaths away of the group; the town square sat on a mountain and surrounding that mountain were buildings and farmlands, up until a dock on the south side. On the other sides, beyond the buildings and farmlands stretched forests for miles. The beach they landed on was no longer in sight. They had no clue where they were or how to get back.

 

"Don't look so worried," Elijah soothes, noticing Clarke's creased forehead, "We have sent a team to deliver your drop ship, it'll be with us within a few days." Elijah turned back to face the town, "For now, why don't you go explore. There's a beautiful fish and chip shop down by the docks, if you thought haddock was good back on Earth, you've not lived. The fish here is truly remarkable, Rainbow fish isn't just a story on this planet." Elijah laughed at his own joke, but the others felt too tense to join in.

 

Ej was the most enthusiastic, "Where is it?"

Elijah smiled, turning to a woman who happened to be walking past, she seemed in between Ej and Octavia's age, her skin dark like Elijah but a bit darker, she wore a pink flowing dress with matching pink flowers intertwined with her plait. "Delilah, my sister, will show you." Elijah stated.

Delilah smiled, a little confused but eager to please, "What am I doing?"

Elijah put a warm hand on Ej's shoulder, "Taking our new friends to eat, I suggested the fish shop down by the dock."

Delilah nodded, "Of course. And the boat's just come in so it'll be the freshest fish you can get."

 

Ej's grin expanded, and it wasn't just at the thought of dinner. Delilah was beautiful. She wasn't like any girl on the Ark. He wondered if this was how his father saw his mother when they first laid eyes on each other. For the first time, he wished his dad was here with him, he could give him advice. It hit Ej that he had never spoke to a girl before, and all he wanted to do was talk to her as they walked down the stone paths through the town. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she pointed out buildings, he couldn't hear a word she was saying but he knew she talked as beautiful as she looked.

 

Light reflected off of the water as they stood outside the brick building, which was just big enough to fit a kitchen and a small bathroom inside. The seats sat outside, wooden tables with blue and yellow parasols and foldable wooden chairs.

 

Ej sat down as Delilah went to speak to the chefs. He rested his arm on the table and Bellamy stood behind him, making him jump a little as Bellamy placed his hand on Ej's shoulder, "What's wrong you seem quiet?"

Murphy smirked, "Isn't it obvious?"

Bellamy looked at him, a little confused.

Murphy nodded his head towards Delilah, " _Her_."

Ej blushed, "I-I don't know what you mean-"

"C'mon," Murphy lightly said, "You have all the symptoms-"

" _Symptoms_?"

"Hmm," Murphy continues to tease, "Sweaty palms, red cheeks and, the most obvious, you can't stop looking at her."

 

Ej felt nervous, trying to focus his gaze on Murphy, he only just realised that it was just Bellamy, Murphy and Jasper with him. He tried to change the subject, "Where's everyone else?"

Murphy kept his tone level, "Raven's gone with Emori to the hospital and Clarke and Octavia are ‘getting to know’ Elijah." He then cut back to the subject, "But as I was saying, it's so obvious."

Ej shook his head, "I-I don't know what you're talking about-"

"I remember my first crush," Bellamy joined in, "Ebony Fisher, she had big blue eyes and dark hair - kinda like Snow White really. She was something-"

"So what did you do?" Ej asked, slightly desperate.

Bellamy shrugged, "I asked her for help with my homework and then that was it."

"Th-that was _it_?" Ej didn't follow, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to.

Murphy shook his head, "You're full of shit, like you got with Ebony-"

"How do you know about Ebony?" Bellamy interrupted, slightly peeved at Murphy's contribution.

Murphy shrugged, "It's the Ark, everyone knew everyone. Nobody's noses were clean, always in everyone's business."

Bellamy nodded, "Right. But still, Ebony was six years older than you, so how the hell would you know?"

Murphy shrugged, "I don't, just thought she seemed like she had higher standards."

Bellamy's eyes widened at Murphy's slight dig, but he would let it slide, "Whatever, John." He turned his attention to Ej, "You just need to be confident. Give her a few compliments and I'm sure she'll like you."

Ej nodded, "Right. Confident." He looked up at Jasper, who had also sat down, but he remained quiet, "Do you have any advice?"

 

Silence.

 

Jasper looked up at Ej. His stomach churned. He still couldn't get over the similarities between him and Monty. "I don't know. The ladies were never my forte."

Ej was still very naive, "What about Maya? You got with her right?"

Jasper's heart ached at her name. All these years and he still never fully healed from her. And now the reminder of his dead best friend, reminded him of his dead girlfriend. "No idea how that happened." He said, trying to shield his pain. He doubted it would ever happen again. The last girl he started to have feelings for was Skye and she's dead too, but it would've never worked anyway, cos she was in love with a Ghost. Riley was her girlfriend but she was dead. McCreary killed her the night they took over, he lied to Skye about her being alive just to use her. At least they were together now.

 

Ej nodded, his dad said Maya was a tricky subject for Jasper. Hopefully he could find new life on this planet, a fresh start for all of them.

 

Delilah returned a grin on her face, "It'll be a few minutes. What were you talking about?"

"You." Murphy stated, not even looking at Delilah.

Ej blushed and so did Delilah, she stuttered, "M-me?"

Ej tried to quickly take control of the situation, "I-Uh, wha-what John means is that, well, um," he struggled for words, "I like your dress! It's very pink!" Ej burst out, feeling his cheeks burning even more.

Murphy bit his lip trying to contain himself.

Bellamy smiled slightly, "What Ej means is, he would like to go on a walk around the docks with you."

Delilah nodded, her eyes meeting Ej's, "I would like that." She put a hand over his, "We have time whilst the fish cooks."

Ej nodded, "Good!" He took back his enthusiasm, "Good, I'd like that."

 

Delilah lead Ej down the docks, leaving Murphy, Bellamy and Jasper behind. Once they were out of earshot, Bellamy turned serious, "So, we're stuck here for a few days at least. I say we figure out how we survive down here and then leave-"

"Why not stay?" Murphy cut him off, "I mean, look at this place," he paused, looking at the brick houses with windows and doors, seeing the electricity cables and the running water. People walking past with smiles on their faces, children smiling dressed in uniform as they walk home from school, "It's clearly safe here. They have electricity and water. They've got hospitals and schools - it's better than what our planet was, it's better than the ark, hell, it might even be better than the Earth before the nukes. It's almost there technologically. So why not stay?"

Bellamy folded his arms, "Are you serious? We don't know this place." He lowered his tone to a whisper, "What if it's like the mountain?"

Murphy looked around again, "They seem to be breathing fine. And they're just like us. Frozen and shipped over."

"Jasper?" Bellamy asked, looking to him for his thoughts on this.

Jasper shrugged, "I don't know. Murphy has a point, what's the alternative? We go back to the woods and try to kill each other? I didn't see many animals to hunt either and you heard the guy, what's prey are predators or some spooky bullshit."

Bellamy nodded, "Right. Okay, but we still need to find out how to survive in case the worst should happen."

 

Murphy sighed, he was tired of running and fighting. Although the six years in space were hard, especially on him and Emori, at least they had stability. They had a home and food on the table and electricity, they didn't have to worrying about dying or killing. This planet was meant to be different and now they've found a new haven, Murphy doesn't want them to fuck it up.  Even if Bellamy does leave, Murphy doesn't think he'll follow; he has to put his _own_ family first now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rainbow Fish used to be a kids story in the UK about a lonely fish with fancy rainbow scales, who made friends by giving his scales away to other fish.


End file.
